It was a dark and stormy night when Mary Crane glimpsed the unlit neon sign announcing the vacancy at the Bates Motel. Exhausted, lost, and at the end of her rope, she was eager for a hot shower and a bed for the night. Her room was musty but clean, and the manager seemed nice … if a little odd.
Norman Bates loves his Mother. She has been dead for the past twenty years, or so people think. Norman knows better though. He has lived with Mother ever since leaving the hospital in the old house up on the hill above the Bates Motel. One night, Norman spies on a beautiful woman that has checked into the hotel. Norman can’t help but spy on her. Mother is there though. She is there to protect Norman from his filthy thoughts. She is there to protect him with her butcher knife.
This classic horror novel, which inspired the famous film by Alfred Hitchcock, has been thrilling people for more than fifty years. It introduced one of the most unexpectedly twisted villains of all time in Norman Bates, the reserved motel manager with a mother complex, and has been called the first psychoanalytic thriller.
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"I wish I could have read this before seeing Hitchcock's classic film. It's an amazing story, simple and terrifying, but the movie follows the book almost exactly, which kind of ruins any surprise in knowing that the mother is actually dead and Norman's the killer. There's a cool bit of backstory that Norman actually killed his mom and her lover, and a much more in depth look at his mental state. Norman seems to be aware at times he's unstable, even considering the possibility he's bi-polar. It's hard to judge this book but it was quick read and certainly entertaining." — Amanda (4 out of 5 stars)
"I wish I could have read this before seeing Hitchcock's classic film. It's an amazing story, simple and terrifying, but the movie follows the book almost exactly, which kind of ruins any surprise in knowing that the mother is actually dead and Norman's the killer. There's a cool bit of backstory that Norman actually killed his mom and her lover, and a much more in depth look at his mental state. Norman seems to be aware at times he's unstable, even considering the possibility he's bi-polar. It's hard to judge this book but it was quick read and certainly entertaining."
“Icily terrifying!”
“Paul Garcia turns in a strong performance as the twisted villain.”
“Reader Paul Michael Garcia…will still make your hair stand on end when it counts. Good fun!”
“A terribly chilling tale.”
" My favorite line: "We all go a little crazy sometimes." Great thriller! "
" A very good book, though I couldn't feel the impact of the twist as I saw the film many years ago. "
" What can you say? The best of the psycho people books out there. "
" really good--but you know what? the original film is even better! the book actually adds very little if you are pretty familiar w/the movie! "
" Full of suspense, and always leaves you wanting more! I ready this quickly; too quickly. It was so good! And I think Hitchcock did a great job with the film. It scares me even though it was made way back when! I'm currently reading Psycho 2 right now. Even creepier! "
" This is a great classic horror movie!! "
" Although Hitchcock's movie is a masterpiece for sure, I wish I would have read the book first. Very well written and hard to put down...and you get more insight into Bate's mind. "
" I had forgotten that the movie was based on a book until I accidently found this on the shelf in the library. It was an interesting read and I enjoyed it. "
" Dare I say it? The movie's better. "
" The best serial killer book I ever read. Bloch was a genius. Just enough differences between the Hitchcock classic to be an amazing read from first page to last... "
" Like the movie better but, again, a good read for the season. "
" Reading this I wished that I could take back my knowledge of Mother. Still, it works and it's a super quick read that I'm glad I stumbled on to at a used bookstore. "
" Buen libro, con una trama entetenida y rapida, como lector no pierdes mucho tiempo en detalles, asm bien el Autor trata de mantenerte al siempre en suspenso y a la espectativa, es un libro corto y muy digerible. "
" Way ahead of it's time. "
" Chilling book! Just wonderful! "
" this book was really good. it was better than the movie. but the movie is still a very good movie "
" Amazing! Short and to the point, wonderfully written! Any more detail would have been excessive and less would have been not enough to paint a clear picture. "
" Nothing like the film sequel - none of the book sequels are like the films - and also it's rather predictable. I didn't like the ending either. "
" Movie was way better. Alfred Hitchcock is an awesome director. "
" Perhaps one of the weirdest horror/suspense books I've ever read. Sure it kept me guessing till the end, but the ending left me...disappointed. Could have used a little more, but just didn't have it. "
" Not as brilliant as the origial, but way good! "
" Kind of a slasher novel. Pretty bad book, pretty bad movie. "
" A wasted effort from an otherwise fine writer. Even the flawed PSYCHO II film (which thankfully wasn't an adaptation of this novel), was better, uh, executed. "
Robert Bloch (1917–1994) was a horror, suspense, and science fiction writer and screenwriter, best known for the novel Psycho. Altogether, he wrote over 220 stories collected in over two dozen collections, two dozen novels, screenplays for a dozen movies, and three Star Trek episodes. His many awards include the Nebula, Hugo, and World Fantasy awards (including Lifetime Achievement), and five Bram Stoker Awards. His autobiography, Once around the Bloch, was his last major work.
Richard Powers has published thirteen novels. He is a MacArthur Fellow and received the National Book Award. His book, The Overstory, won the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction.
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