Monster

by Christopher Pike

Book Overview

Mary Blanc walked into the party with a loaded shotgun. In the blink of an eye, she blew two people away. She wanted to kill more, but was stopped by her best friend, Angela Warner, and the police. The next day, when Angela visits Mary at the jail she asks why she did it. Mary responds, Because they were no longer human. Angela thinks she's crazy. At first.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0671745077
• ISBN13: 9780671745073
• Release Date: November 1992
• Publisher: Simon Pulse
• Length: 229 Pages
• Weight: 0.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.7"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

20 years later, I still think about this book

It’s a teen horror book sure but it’s also existentially terrifying at times. Despite how long it’s been since I first read it, the story has never truly left my psyche, highly recommend.

Christopher Pike is awesome

I love his young adult books, they are well thought out and thought provoking. He tells a simple conchise story and ties up all of the loose ends perfectly. His female characters also kick ass,(yes he can actually convincingly write women). He doesn't get as mired in the plot as he does with his adult books, when is actually a terrible shame. Most of his stories are completely original, mini masterpieces that hide behind the young adult genre. I really think he deserves to be a lot more famous than he is. This book is very well written. It includes all the good ingredients of a classic horror novel, freaky metamorphosis included. Sometimes, it borders on downright horrifying. The main characters, as they struggle with the basic aspects of humanity and their new hunger are realistically done. This book does hint at evil, but it also offers a motive. This book is also sassy and proud and doesn't take itself overly seriously. At times, it is amusing in a sickening sort of way. One of the characters buys four pounds of meat at the supermarket and eats half of it raw in the car. A couple other darkly amusing quotes are "He caught me trying to eat my dog, so what?" "Come on, you have to eat people, all the cool people are doing it". It all starts when Angela's best friend, Mary bursts into a party and shoots the head cheerleader and one of the football players. Christopher Pike announces this happens in the course of about 6 seconds, so nobody has a chance to react. When she turns to shoot her boyfriend, Angela and a couple other people try to stop her and everyone else just runs out of the house. Justice is finally extracted, at a price. The innocent get trampled and demolished. This book is not fair, and carries some of the most brutal killing scenes I have ever seen in any of his books. The pre-apocalyptic one was especially horrible, but this makes it stand out on it's own even more. It's a good story, it keeps you reading. I found the ending incredible, in a sad and beautiful kind of way.

Scarifying story!

This story is not relaxing at all. Angela, the main character, thinks her friend Mary is crazy -- at first. Mary has gone nuts, apparently, and done some really violent, awful things. Mary even thinks that some of the kids in school are turning into monsters. But the more Angela learns, the more she thinks that her town is being taken over by extraterrestrial vampires. People are being transformed into vampires because of an ancient virus from outer space. The virus has been hidden deep beneath a lake, in a crater, which was formed when a small asteroid struck the Earth thousands of years ago. Suddenly, it seems like the virus has gotten into the water, and people are drinking it! Worst of all... Angela herself may be turning into a space vampire. Aaaahhhh!This story has two main ingredients. Vampires, and asteroids hitting the earth. If you would like to read a good, nonfiction book that's all about the legend of vampires, I recommend that you read "In Search of Dracula: The History of Dracula and Vampires," by Raymond T. McNally, and Radu R. Florescu. That's a really neat book, and it will give you a chance to learn some real history, too. If you're scared of asteroids, (which makes a lot more sense than being scared of vampires!!!) I think you might like to read "Impact!: The Threat of Comets and Asteroids," by a real live astronomer named Gerrit Verschuur.Anyway, this is a pretty spooky book. If you like scary stories, but don't read very much, or if you know someone who's just getting started reading on their own, I think this book would be perfect. Two thumbs up!

living with the KAtuu

This story is about a girl named Angela that first, try to stop her friend marry for killing some of there "friends", but ends up taking up where marry left off. Marry is sent to jail for killing two people, Kathy and Todd. Todd is and star running back. Jim, who was almost killed by Marry, was a star quarterback. Kathy was a cheerleader. They all seem to be way better then the rest. There is a good reason for that too. Angela falls in love with Jim and becomes one of them.I thought that this book was interesting to read because, one, and I really like reading horror books, and it constantly keep me on the edge of my seat. I never wanted to put it down. On almost every page there was something happening that I didn't expect. This book didn't go the way I thought that it would go. This of, course, which is a good thing because if all the book or movies in the world would end the way you thought that they would, they would all be boring. This book doesn't have one of those fairly tale ending, witch I don't like either. I would suggest this book to anyone that finds any horror stories interesting, but don't expect it to end the way you want it to.

Terrifying!

This book really deserves 5 stars. All the young adult fiction that everyone thinks is garbage should really be given a second look when it comes to Author's like Christopher Pike. This book is everything I'd hoped it would be and more.I've read a few others and I just can't believe how much I underestimated this Author. With his skill in plot and story I also can't believe why guys like Koontz are famous and Pike isn't as famous. What a ridiculous society we live that so obsesed with junk.Buy this book, read it, love it. You will be introduced into the world of Christopher Pike and he will take you on many many more adventures after this one.Have fun!

monster draws in the reader and ends with a suprising twist.

Monster is a great book, while reading it I found the characters easy to relate with and very likeable. This story kept my attention throughout every chapter The ending was very unexpected as well.