Goosebumps

I would have thought it'd be one of the best ways to go, since it's not as though there's anything to miss. (Or to do the missing, for that matter.)

I loved the books when I was younger, and would check out the bookstore every month for the new one.

Interestingly enough my copy of Cookoo Clock of Doom was misprinted. Towards the end of the book certain pages would be reprinted a couple of pages later, so some events seemed to repeat. I only learned years later it wasn't supposed to be like that.

I always liked the ending to Cuckoo Clock of Doom. I hate bratty children.

Anyways, I always liked which chapters they chose for the preview of My Hairiest Adventure. When they try on the Insta-Tan, and suddenly this one kids face starts peeling off. How did they cheat us on cliffhanger again?

CCOD is the only one I still like legitamitely in retrospect out of more than nostalgia.

Out of the ones i've read, Deep Trouble is probably my favorite. It was a nice departure from the traditional formula, and Billy was a likable protagonist.

Deep Trouble is different indeed, playing out more like an adventure story than a horror. Similarly, my favorite Fear Street was the one that involved the teens playing detective to try to track down a murderer - it also was a departure from the usual horror style.

My favorite was the Curse of the Mummy's Tomb because Gabe was awesome and saved everyone.

I'll say one thing about Blogger Beware, thanks to it I can't help but find this series' constant use of Platonic Life-Partners so freaking hilarious.

edited 5th Jan '13 11:16:08 PM by KnownUnknown

EVERYONE read these when I was in 3rd grade. I checked one out and don't remember a thing from it, or even which one it was.

Horror still isn't my thing at age 25. Even though in reality, Goosebumps is about as scary as eating a mozzarella stick.

I heard that some of these books were ghostwritten? Does anyone know which ones? By the way, there's a character page for Goosebumps now.

Yeah, I saw that. Figured we should stick with recurring characters who appear across several books (like the Haunted Mask characters or the Monster Blood characters) before moving on to very memorable characters from the other ones (which... aren't many).

edited 19th Jan '13 4:58:38 PM by KnownUnknown

because Evan Ross was such a great character

<shrug>. YMMV aside, the recurring characters from the sequelled books (albeit some more than others) are the closest thing the series has to established characters.

edited 19th Jan '13 7:51:21 PM by KnownUnknown

ah okay, i get it now

As long as we're talking about memorable one time characters, I'd like to nominate Dr.Brewer,Della, and Keith.

edited 3rd Feb '13 4:10:58 PM by dibkyle

Oh, I didn't expect a thread on this.

I liked the Monster Blood series except 4 and CCOD. Or at least I better, they're the only ones where I remember the whole thing.

Purple Peanut Butter is another book I liked, if only for how far-reaching some of the choices are <So, insta-grow PB can lead to circus life cleaning after elephants? The hell ever, man.> I kinda didn't like it, but it got martyr'd through Narm Charm and it being my first Goosebumps in years.

edited 2nd Feb '13 9:17:15 PM by TechPowah

Need help in figuring out how to do links?

No,thank you.

Anyway, I personally think Deep Trouble is one of the more overlooked entries. Some people may not have liked it because of the mermaids,but these ones, in my opinion, were badass. Not only are they implied to have killed the villains, but they wrestle sharks, for crying out loud!

Not to mention Amy Kim Ganter did a wonderful job adapting it into a comic. You'd almost forget it's from the series where ventriloquist dummies give kids "love taps."

edited 3rd Feb '13 4:28:28 PM by dibkyle

Completely agree. i also love how our main character cares for the mermaid, and it's not a straight romance.

Oh, geez, it's been so long since I read these. I remember one or two that I found rather scary, including a particularly chilling one I can't quite recall the details of about a fire.

When my father was still alive, he and I had a theory that there was no R.L. Stine or there once was one, but the books transitioned to being written by a highly sophisticated computer program that was capable of churning material based on a formula because there were just so. damn. many.

Personally, I think Stay out of the Basement was somewhat different as well, at least in character roles. For one, I think the real protagonist was the father. Even though it's told from the kids' point of view,they don't really do much other than bare witness to the strange events. Dr. Brewer, meanwhile, is the one who creates these plants, one of which replaces him,and in the end, he's the one who has to undo his mistakes and save everyone, not his children. Other than me, does this guy remind anyone else of another creepy scientist father?

Exactly, and i also like how there is a real son/daughter/father connection in that one

I find it interesting how a lot of the best stories are the more obscure ones.

edited 8th Feb '13 3:00:27 PM by dibkyle

Aw man, I haven't read Goosebumps since I was 10. I remember I was on a mission to read every one in order and I stopped because I couldn't find a copy of the next one I needed. The Ghost Next Door is my favorite, since the twist was actually built up instead of just coming out of left field like most of the other books.

That's it! That's the one I couldn't recall the details of. Thanks!