CHECK IT OUT

Carved pumpkins and makeshift monsters not enough to get you in the

Halloween spirit? Head to the library, where tales of terror guarantee

passage into the dark world of the supernatural.

Among the finest literary sorcerers of horror is Peter Straub, who

reveals human character as a source of both evil and innocence in “Magic

Terror,” a new collection of deeply disturbing tales. Especially haunting

is “Bunny Is Good Bread,” a harrowing account of a troubled childhood

that takes readers into the mind of a small boy who pushes aside real

world anxieties by living as if he’s in a movie.

Equally disconcerting are the tales in “The Longest Single Note,” a

new sci-fi volume that demonstrates Peter Crowther’s skills as a

craftsman of frightening fantasy. Woven around the premise that loss is

the biggest monster of all and hope its most effective foe, the

compositions include the touching “Too Short a Death,” an evocative story

about the human side of vampires, and “Home Comforts,” featuring a twist

on the familiar slayer-versus-vampire plot.

The shape of horror on the cusp of a new century is brilliantly

exposed in “999: New Stories of Horror and Suspense,” an anthology of

works by such masters of the macabre as Bentley Little and Ramsey

Campbell. Worthy standouts include a quasi-gothic tale by Joyce Carol

Oates, set in the contemporary world of high technology, and a 100-page

haunted house story by “Exorcist” creator William Peter Blatty.

For readers interested in a sampling of sinister fiction by a single

writer, “The Essential Clive Barker” includes 567 pages of eerie work,

including passages from novels and plays, complete stories and an

introduction that offers insight into the imagination of the

award-winning author. Thematically arranged around such images as

doorways, journeys, memory and art, the excerpts provide an overview of

horror fiction by a modern-day author writing in the tradition of Poe and

Dickens. If you prefer terror on tape, find 11 hours of spellbinding

tension on an unabridged recording of Anne Rivers Siddons’ “The House

Next Door,” a haunting tale about a house that drives its inhabitants to

scandal, madness and death.

Listen to nearly 10 more hours of fast-paced suspense on tape with

“Under the Lake,” Stuart Woods’ thriller about family intrigue set in

motion when a journalist teams with a reporter to discover a lake’s

dangerous secrets.

Finally, no romp through horror fiction would be complete without

scaring up tricks woven by fear fabricator Stephen King. Hear the thrill

master himself on “Bag of Bones,” an audio treat featuring the novelist’s

most autobiographical character -- a best-selling author who is King’s

vehicle for gently satirizing the publishing world -- in a tale about

grief, young love and otherworldly visits that makes perfect listening

for an Allhallows Eve.

* CHECK IT OUT is written by the staff of the Newport Beach Public

Library. This week’s column is by Melissa Adams, in collaboration with

Susie Lamb and Steven Short. All titles may be reserved from home or

office computers by accessing the catalog on the Web site at o7

www.newportbeachlibrary.org.f7