Buy new:

$12.99

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery Saturday, July 2 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Or fastest delivery Tuesday, June 28. Order within 16 hrs 48 mins

In Stock.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app.

[{"displayPrice":"$12.99","priceAmount":12.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"12","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Fb55VOK3hJccJzomAXPX4w2Nv1q7%2B4Xm43e2FObi99lsWehGjd0kUNMuEJ2ka77ibdQfnhXFIVWeSj5thsFfSuXv%2FICoikgUZzziF2PVu1XgAOiQ8f7Qi9b8V2mGNPRMLYK7%2BhN7Hm4PygbbPSV1pA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"}]

$$12.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Share <Embed>

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$12.99
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: sweethomeliquid2

Added

Not added

$14.99
+ $3.99 shipping

Sold by: greg4095

Added

Not added

$19.30
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Book Depository US

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Brian Keene

Urban Gothic Paperback – February 15, 2011

by Brian Keene (Author)

209 ratings

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$7.95

—

Paperback

"Please retry"

$12.99

$19.49

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

—

$29.99

—

Audio CD, Audiobook, CD

"Please retry"

—

Enhance your purchase

No one gets out alive!

When their car broke down in a dangerous inner-city neighborhood, Kerri and her friends thought they would find shelter inside an old, dark row home. They thought it was abandoned. They thought they would be safe there until help arrived. They were wrong.

The residents who live down in the cellar and the tunnels beneath the city are far more dangerous than the streets outside, and they have a very special way of dealing with trespassers. Trapped in a world of darkness, populated by obscene abominations, they will have to fight back if they ever want to see the sun again. Every city has its secrets and urban legends. But nothing can prepare them for when they find out the truth about this horrible house. Urban Gothic is Brian Keene's blood and body fluid splattered tribute to horror icon Edward Lee.

"Raw, gritty, and often brilliant . . . Urban Gothic is a tour de force in shock horror." - Dark Scribe Magazine

Print length

252 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Deadite Press
Publication date

February 15, 2011
Dimensions

5.5 x 0.53 x 8.5 inches
ISBN-10

1936383446
ISBN-13

978-1936383443
See all details

Frequently bought together

+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

One of these items ships sooner than the other.

Show details Hide details

Choose items to buy together.

by Brian Keene Paperback
$12.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jul 2 FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
by Brian Keene Paperback
$12.99
Get it as soon as Saturday, Jul 2 FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon
Only 5 left in stock (more on the way).
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Brian Keene
144
Paperback
10 offers from $6.39
Bryan Smith
166
Paperback
14 offers from $10.22
Jack Ketchum
879
Paperback
19 offers from $6.99
Brian Keene
191
Paperback
15 offers from $8.74
B.R. Yeager
462
Paperback
11 offers from $13.49
Brian Keene
698
Paperback
22 offers from $12.79

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Deadite Press (February 15, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 252 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1936383446
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1936383443
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.53 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #474,675 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,446 in Occult Fiction
- #55,482 in Fantasy (Books)

Customer Reviews:
209 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Brian Keene

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

BRIAN KEENE is the author of over forty books, mostly in the horror, crime, and dark fantasy genres. His 2003 novel, The Rising, is often credited (along with Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic and Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later film) with inspiring pop culture’s current interest in zombies. Keene’s novels have been translated into German, Spanish, Polish, Italian, French, Taiwanese, and many more. In addition to his own original work, Keene has written for media properties such as Doctor Who, The X-Files, Hellboy, Masters of the Universe, and Superman.

Several of Keene’s novels have been developed for film, including Ghoul, The Ties That Bind, and Fast Zombies Suck. Several more are in-development or under option.

Keene’s work has been praised in such diverse places as The New York Times, The History Channel, The Howard Stern Show, CNN.com, Publisher’s Weekly, Media Bistro, Fangoria Magazine, and Rue Morgue Magazine. He has won numerous awards and honors, including a World Horror Grand Master award, two Bram Stoker awards, and a recognition from Whiteman A.F.B. (home of the B-2 Stealth Bomber) for his outreach to U.S. troops serving both overseas and abroad. A prolific public speaker, Keene has delivered talks at conventions, college campuses, theaters, and inside Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, VA.

Customer reviews

5 star		61%
4 star		15%
3 star		15%
2 star		3%
1 star		6%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Ben Boulden

Close But No Cigar

Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2016

Verified Purchase

I have to say that I am not a devotee of splatterpunk-style horror. Between Labor Day and Halloween this year, I am reading horror novels to expose myself to a different fictional genre than I would normally encounter otherwise. I asked a friend for a recommendation, and he suggested this one. The problem with a high-body count in a plot is I start limiting my investment in the surviving characters, anticipating their deaths. Also, shock scenes for me turn quickly to gross-out ones to bored numbness. 'Oh, look, someone is doing something or experiencing something gross and violent and horrifying again. Yawn.' You can go to that well too often and I think Urban Gothic does that. However, the writer weaves character moments and background into the action and story in a deft way. I did care about many of the characters. His descriptive writing also is strong. I just wish there had been a few more quiet moments breaking up the cannonball pace and letting the reader catch his or her breath.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

All Hope Abandon, Ye Who Enter In

Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2011

Verified Purchase

For most people, there's nothing scarier than being lost. That was the premise of The Blair Witch Project, which scared the crap out of me because I could relate to the situation the characters found themselves in. Not the part of being "hunted" by a supernatural creature, but the part about being lost in the woods. It has happened to me. There's nothing more terrifying than not knowing where you are going, if you are constantly going around in circles, going the right way to freedom, or working your way deeper into the wilds. And that's in the daylight. Now imagine being in that situation in the dark of night. If you can't relate to that, how about a corn field maze? An amusement park fun house? Or something as simple as an unfamiliar neighborhood. That's what you will find in Brian Keene's Urban Gothic.

Kerri and her friends are on the way home from a concert when her boyfriend, Tyler, gets it in his head to score some drugs in order to keep the good mood going. Everybody just wants to go home, but Tyler's driving, and he claims the guy is a friend and it's not far. However, when a closed road causes him to detour, he gets himself all turned around and they find themselves in one of the seedier parts of town. As if that wasn't bad enough, the car picks that moment to give up the ghost. Insisting that he can fix it, Tyler forbids anybody calling for help, but when a group of locals approach them, they panic. They run straight for the abandoned house at the end of the street despite to other kids telling them not to go in there.

From the moment they get inside, they realize they are in trouble when the door locks behind them. Despite the rundown condition of the house, the door is stronger than it appears. When they decide to search the house in order to find another way out, they are set upon by a giant of a man, or so they think. Tyler and one of the girls are killed immediately, and Kerri and her remaining three friends run deeper into the house in order to avoid meeting the same fate. They get separated, and soon discover that the house is rigged up like a carnival fun house, with sliding panels and trap doors. They also soon realize that what they are up against isn't just one psychotic killer, but multiple generation of deformed mutants that have lived beneath the house longer than anybody knows. Driven by fear and a desperate desire to stay alive, the four remaining friends search for a way out, but in order to reach it, they must pass through the mutant lair. Can they do it?

In the meantime, the neighborhood kids who had approached the car know the house's reputation. They don't know what lives there, but they do know that whoever goes in is never seen again. Feeling partially responsible, they call the cops, but the police are all too familiar with the house as well, and when they don't show, the kids decide to take matters into their own hands. Somebody has to help those other kids, and it looks like it's up to them. Will Leo and his friends be able to gain access to the house and help those trapped within, or will they, too, become victims of the house?

Reading Urban Gothic, I was reminded of one of my favorite movies, The People Under The Stairs (yes, I'm a freak, I admit it, but I love Wendy Robie and Everett McGill in that movie. It's kind of like Lucy and Ricky on acid.). The house Keene has created brings to mind the creepy castles of Gothic fiction, with their secret passageways and miles upon miles of tunnels running beneath them. Those castles and the ghosts that haunt them are tame in comparison. Keene's house is inhabited by a tribe of cannibalistic freaks, which he paints with a grim brutality that will have you looking over your shoulder as you read. His human characters are painted with that same gritty realness that will have you on the edge of your seat as they make their way through the house looking for a way out.

As much as I liked Urban Gothic, there were certain things that stood out as problematic, at least for me. Keene reveals that these mutants have been around a long time, longer than the town has been in existence, but that is the extent of it. We are never informed as to the origin of these creatures, which I found disappointing. I kept hoping that the kids would stumble across something that would reveal the origin of these monsters. Given that the house appears larger on the inside than is perceived from the outside, you wonder if maybe it's a portal to another dimension. There was also a moment where I thought Keene might be attempting a Cthulhu mythos tie-in. There's nothing definite, which was frustrating to me as a reader.

The other issue I had with these mutants is that some of them spoke English in complete sentences. To me, this would imply that they had more contact with the outside world that we are led to believe. One of the questions that is raised by one of the characters in the book is what do these creatures live on? Their sole sustenance can't be the chance individual who happens to stray into their lair, and there aren't enough rodents to keep their race alive. Are they working with somebody from the outside, somebody who regularly lures unwitting victims to their demise? This would help to explain how they can communicate with their victims. We just don't know, and for me, it ruined the credibility of these mutants. I would have preferred it if they stuck with grunts, groans, and moans as a means of communication. If language was necessary, they should have spoken in a fragmented dialogue.

All in all, however, I did enjoy Urban Gothic, and would highly recommend it to anybody who doesn't mind raw, brutal, graphic horror fiction.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

mark alutius

What does Jack Ketchum have to do with it? A Lot!

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2021

Verified Purchase

My first Brian Keene book! I loved how goofy it was. The gore was done with humor - a lot of brain matter type stuff. The book reads like Jack Ketchum's first two books: Off Season (unwashed & horny Cannibals) & Hide & Seek (House with underground cave +unwashed Cannibals). Add to that the badly fleshed out teen cast of victims (might as well call them Girl 1, Boy 2...it doesn't matter) None of this is a problem. It's still fun but the estate of Jack Ketchum should take note. Ordered two more Brian Keene books.

Helpful

wolfgang731

Speedy ride through a labyrinth of terror

Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2009

Verified Purchase

I found Urban Gothic to be pretty much a kick ass horror novel. From the very first few pages, Brian Keene makes certain that your interest never lags. At least for me, it never did. It's a relatively short and quick read; the latter, no doubt, was the author's intention. Some have complained about poor or insufficient character development and for the most part, I would have to agree. There are several instances where Mr. Keene does attempt to give his characters a bit of a back story, but it feels tacked on, much like an afterthought and doesn't really give much insight into these hapless teenagers who one night made a wrong turn and consequently ran into a monumentally bad situation. Perhaps, it is due to the fact that the author wanted to make certain to grab the reader by throat from the first page and in his zeal to do that, had to sacrifice certain aspects of the novel. Also, it could be that there were simply too many characters and delving, if only somewhat, deeply into each of them would have meant a novel too long to appeal to the average reader. There are the six teenagers that propel the story, the six neighborhood residents that are faced with the moral quandary of how to react to the circumstances they're presented with and, of course, who could forget the myriad assortment of cannibalistic mutants, denizens of the labyrinth cut out beneath the streets of the inner city. If you want to make this story work and keep the narrative moving at a good clip, something would have to give and it did, somewhat. However, it was not enough to put me off, even remotely. Ultimately, I feel the reader will empathize completely with these unfortunate people, who, for the most part, are good kids who just happened to have made a very stupid and immature decision. Who isn't guilty of being a total bonehead when they were 16 or 17 years old? I know I was and I was a first rate nerd. The same is true with the neighborhood residents; however, the compassion I felt for them was of a different, though no less significant, variety. Brian Keene's creations are beyond grotesque and the environment in which they not only lived but seemingly thrived made me want to shower every time I put the book down. The sights, sounds and smells of that subterranean death trap were described to the minutest detail and, as far as I'm concerned, my senses felt the full assault. His descriptive powers certainly never failed him. Not to nit pick but I have to mention this. There is one incident in the book that made howl with laughter, though I'm certain that wasn't the reaction the author was aiming for. Or was it? I had to put the book down and laugh for a good minute. How the author, or more importantly his editor, could have written it and not thought about how laughable it was, I'll never know. Spoilers suck so I won't describe what's lead up to the corresponding moment but suffice it to say that its apex moment was ushered in with the glorious remark, "When you wiggle, I go boom." I knew what he was trying to achieve but it's just beyond plain bad. In closing, this is a thrill ride of the first order. We're talking zero to 60 in two pages and those who enjoy their horror delivered at breakneck speed with the splatter machine on hyper drive will really relish this gorefest. One star deducted due to poor character development and the aforementioned remark. Yes, for me it was that egregious

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

I W C

A relentless, unforgiving gore soaked tale

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 5, 2013

Verified Purchase

About a year ago, all I read was Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Richard Laymon.

More recently, I have been branching out and trying to find other writers that can either scare or repulse me. Brian Keene definitely falls into the latter.

I had never read any of Keene's work before. Most people talk about his zombie fiction that he created, but I wanted something different. This book looked like a cross between The Hills Have eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre & Wes Craven's The People Under The Stairs. So decided to step up to the plate & give it a shot.

This book is gory and I mean GORY! Just about every part of the human body is sliced, cut, stabbed, bludgeoned, beaten and F.U.B.A.R'd. It is messed up, I'll tell you that for free, Jack.

The best thing about this book is the gore and the mutants living inside & under the house. Every psycho that the main characters come across are all completely different. Mr Keene must have put a lot of thought into creating these vile, disturbing psychopaths.

The story moves along at a good pace and Keene mixes the tension, and the gore, very well within the story. The main characters aren't great. You do want them to escape, but it doesn't really bother you when one of them is dispatched in gruesome and unexpected style. There were a few deaths that completely caught me off guard. I was impressed. Mr Keene is very unforgiving and I would not like to be a character inside his head or on the pages of one of his books. That's one of the best things about this book. No-one is safe. Keene takes a chance, by killing off characters that you think are going to survive till the end.

The ending felt rather rushed though. It is another one of those books where you feel that maybe the writer, for whatever reason, just decided to end the book abruptly. It was a bit weak. I would have liked to have understood a little bit more about the maniac's living under the house. Their back story is very bare, it would have been great to hear more about them.

If you want a fast, disturbing, gory read, then this book is definitely for you. I will probably be checking out more of Brian Keene's work. The story actually reminded me a lot of Richard Laymon's Funland. The traps and maniac's were very similar. This book is a bit like an angry more morbid Richard Laymon type of book. So if you enjoy how dark Mr Laymon's books are, and you are looking for something a bit darker. Then check out Urban Gothic. You wont be disappointed.

IWC 5/8/13

One person found this helpful

Mrs B

not all what it seems

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 14, 2015

Verified Purchase

Did Mr Keene take extra gore and horror pills lately?? What ever he done is working!!! After reading le'horns hollow which comes across as light intro compared to this .and it's hard to describe what your getting without letting the suprises out but Nothing is what it seems!!! A haunting but not as we know it, a house so much more then a house ,stereotypes not appear what you'd think. ........ Go through the voilent,cannibalistic and some odd sexual experience with bunch of teenagers finding there way out of house . The Haunting of the house are the residents and are relentless on the hunt and hungry for the teenagers on game of horrifying cat and mouse.So much action happens fast paced and hard to put down. Dare you buy and meet scug and noigel

Pete

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 14, 2011

Verified Purchase

This is the second Brian Keen novel I've read (the first being Darkness on the Edge of Town) and I loved them both. I loved how most of the action in this novel occurs in the dark, and sometimes pitch black, and yet I'm right there in the thick of the action seeing it all play out like a film in my head. I couldn't put either novel down and I'm chomping at the bit to move on to the next (though I might have a break because I feel a bit worn out from racing all around the dark scary and horrifying tunnels beneath the house. Go there and experience this for yourself.)

You might be thinking it's a little expensive? Let me tell you that you'll not find a better way to get lost in sheer scary enjoyment for £5 anywhere! else!)

2 people found this helpful

Daniel Rodrick

Awful book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 17, 2022

Verified Purchase

Absolutely dreadful read, poor pacing the horror elements weren't frightening or shocking in anyway that a 15 year old couldn't come up with. Lazy writing and a cast of characters that were so bland and forgettable I found myself going back to the first chapter to remind myself of who was who whenever one of them met their generic and boring deaths

NICOLA

Good, but...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 25, 2011

Verified Purchase

Brian Keene is one of my favourite horror writers, second only to the great Richard Laymon or early Stephen King. I really enjoyed his "zombie" books, as well as "Castaways" which I consider his masterpiece. Urban Gothic is entertainingly gripping, gory and disturbing, this latter being perhaps the quality which I like most in Keene's stories. Surely, I cannot say that this book sets the highest standard in originality and character depth, nonetheless it is remarkable how he succeeds in depicting places and people in such an economic yet no less poignant way as to rank him among the least wordy authors of the genre. Only the ending left me a little bit unconvinced: I don't want to get into details here for the sake of those who may wish to read the book, but too many questions remain unanswered, as if to keep a door open for a possible sequel. A page turner anyway.

2 people found this helpful

See all reviews

Buy new: $12.99

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Urban Gothic Paperback – February 15, 2011

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Product details

About the author

Brian Keene

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$12.99