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    The Secret
    The Secret
    The Secret
    Ebook145 pages1 hour

    The Secret

    By R. L. Stine

    3/5

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    About this ebook

    In the second novel of a terrifying trilogy, R.L. Stine takes you back in time, finally telling the awful truth of what happened to the cursed Fear family…and why their evil lives on. Simon Fier meets an old gypsy who tells him his family will all die in a terrible fire. Terrified, he changes the family name to Fear, but he can’t escape the curse.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon Pulse
    Release dateOct 27, 2009
    ISBN9781442407411
    The Secret
    Author

    R. L. Stine

    R.L. Stine has more than 350 million English language books in print, plus international editions in 32 languages, making him one of the most popular children’s authors in history. Besides Goosebumps, R.L. Stine has written other series, including Fear Street, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room, and Dangerous Girls. R.L. Stine lives in New York with his wife, Jane, and his Cavalier King Charles spaniel, Minnie. Visit him online at rlstine.com.

    Read more from R. L. Stine

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    Reviews for The Secret

    3/5

    1,425 ratings81 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Such a great book! Very timely, informative, and thought provoking. I can already see it shift my life around just in the time it took to read this!
    • 2/5
      Positive thinking does work. However, blaming people for the bad things that happen to them is disgusting.
    • 3/5
      The author takes the reader on a journey through the advantages of positive thinking. Byrne introduces various people who have applied this techniques to different aspects of their life. This is both inspiring and interesting and could potentially be a life changer.
    • 4/5
      The Secret was recommended to me by a friend on Facebook because of something very difficult I am going through. He just kept going on how the book changed his life and that how what you are thinking and feeling is what will happen. I went into reading the book with skepticism. The basis of the book is the Secret to living a wonderful life and being able to receive everything you want and deserve. As I was reading the book I noticed how my emotions were influencing the things around me. I started to tune into my feelings and try to think positive thoughts. I noticed myself starting to feel better and getting happier as I read the book. I know that I will use this book as a reference when ever I feel negative feelings or thoughts. I am not going to try and persuade anyone that this book is the meaning to life. I will tell you that The Secret is a great book to help you find the real you and to discover the positive energy from with in you. So I would recommend reading The Secret for some great soul searching and healing.
    • 5/5
      This book helped me changed my whole outlook. I am on a new path and happy. You have to read it and watch the DVD to really understand it.
    • 1/5
      Puh-lease!!!! The idea that we can control the outcome of Universal events by simply believing it is so is ridiculous. Especially since the writer clearly has no understanding of quantum physics and completely misuses the theories of the subject. Terrible book for which, thankfully, I never payed a cent and would never recommend to anyone. I would have preferred to give it a score of zero stars.
    • 4/5
      Quite inspiring really. It's quite scary to think how what you think you can have and I suppose it's helped me question my negativity - what if what the book says IS true? What if everything I ask for I get - good or bad? Eeek.
    • 3/5
      The 'secret' that this book is about is the Law of Attraction (LOA) and, if you know nothing about the LOA, then this book is a good starting point. It explains what the LOA is (you get what you focus on) and then goes on to illustrate how you can apply this 'secret' to achieve what you truly want with regard to money, relationships, your health and the world. The LOA is based on the energy vibrations we are emitting (and these are determined by the types of thoughts we have). Gratitude is a powerful process for shifting our energy onto higher planes and bringing more of what we want into our lives and when we feel love, we are emitting the highest vibration of all. What I liked about the book are the summaries at the end of each chapter and the stories that are told to illustrate the points that are being made. One of the most astounding is the story about Morris Goodman, 'The Miracle Man'. He was completely paralyzed after he crashed his aeroplane and could only blink his eyes. The doctors said he would remain like that for the rest of his life, but nine months later he walked out of the hospital on his own two feet. These are inspiring stories, but there is more to the LOA than is covered in this book. However, it is a good introduction to the whole topic and, if you have an open mind, it will most definitely broaden your horizons about what is possible and achievable in life.
    • 3/5
      Rhonda has pooled a lot of ideas from others, some from earlier centuries.There are very clear practical ideas for incorporating a more positive approach to life and therefore benefiting from the law of attraction.
    • 3/5
      The Secret... "You are God in a physical body" she writes "...and now you know The Secret". It is always good to have any positive energy...I feel. This book has helped many people to embrace what we should already Know. Many people may have missed out on "Napoleon Hill, Think and Grow Rich". With same messages - the laws of attraction - your thoughts determine your destiny. I believe in the self believing, positive thinking, creative visualization, a Higher Power, universe, The Divine... GOD. I feel, with these beliefs they are my Truth "I found a Truth" and that works well for me.
    • 4/5
      Very uplifting and inspirational in it's presentation and packaging, but this information is nothing new. The idea of using visualization, affirmations, good attitude, etc. to transform your life is a very old idea and a most popular strategy in many self-help books. None the less, I still enjoy revisiting these ideas and they have already impacted on my current life and outlook. I see the idea (or secret) as it was presented very useful on two levels. If you change your outlook to one of optimism and certainty, you will begin to see and act on opportunities (connected to your goals) that are all around you. People will also begin to respond to you in a more favorable mode as well. Some of the latest mind/brain research shows that much (or most) of the actions we take are below our conscious level (within our unconscious brain.) So through visualization and believing something we want already exists we set the direction of our unconscious mind. That mind then begins to take action (effortlessly) to bring reality into existence. What is not provable (or is a conjecture) in the book is the idea that the universe is personal and your thoughts are the key ingredient that affects (or attracts the changes in your life.) There is a bit of talk about quantum physics in the book and if you subscribe to the mulit-verse model of the quantum universe (our realities are forever splitting into alternate universes) then perhaps our consciousness flows to universes that favor the outcomes we believe are real. I took this book in via audio as I took my morning walks you might consider this mode.
    • 1/5
      Psst! Wanna know a secret? The Secret is a money making scam based on a lot of information you’ve heard before . . . for free. “Keep a positive image and it will come to be. Imagine what you want, imagine you already have it and it will come to be. You attract what it is you really want.” There. That’s it. And I won’t even charge you for it, like Rhonda Byrne wants to.While I have no objection to self help books or trying to change anyone’s life for the better, I do object to the money making scam the author has turned this idea into. There’s a website for the book. Nothing new here. Want to watch the trailer for the movie? That’s free. Want to see the movie? Show her the money! Want to get positive reinforcement messages daily to your phone? Show her the money! If this message is so good and so important for everyone to know, why not take a page from your own playbook and share it with people for free!Redfield’s first Celestine Prophecy book at least had an entertaining story to help keep your interest. After Disc 1, I gave up on The Secret, despite the author’s vibrant voice and the endless endorsements. In the beginning, I thought this was going to be a mocumentry of the author finding some long lost manuscript that changed her life overnight. Even the name of one of the experts providing an endorsement, Bergman, conjured up images of Procter and Bergman, the core of the quintessential audio comedy team known as Firesign Theater, reinforcing my expectations of a mocumentry.You know, though, Rhonda Byrne is correct. I did not expect anything serious and I did not get anything serious. Excellent use of the audiobook medium and technical recording earns this recording a full star. I give it a zero for content.
    • 4/5
      Rhonda Byme has a irritating way to write in short sentences with lots of exclamation marks (Now you The Secret you know!) but still, I was seduced by some of her (and others) ideas to make more of your own life. The main message is that you whatever you think about, you will attract. So control your thoughts, put them in the right direction and off you go! That's actually a good message. In the last years I've read a lot of works of spiritual leaders, followed some personal development course and talked with a body language expert and basically they have said the same things. Do the things you like, avoid to think about the things you dislike and live in the now. So that's it for this review, I'm going back to the now in the real life! :-)
    • 5/5
      The five stars I give this book aren't for brilliant writing or ground-breaking research; they're for providing an intense spark of inspiration, hope and joy. I was fortunate enough to have wise parents who required I read the likes of Napoleon Hill, Og Mandino and Norman Vincent Peale as part of my early education. It's taken me a long time to pick up this new book because the title put me off. I guessed, from all I heard about it, that "The Secret" is simply the law of attraction, which is no secret at all. Even after I finally decided I should read "The Secret", just to make sure I wasn't missing anything, I found myself reading the first chapters thinking that it was just the same old stuff. The problem with "the same old stuff" though, is we tend to let it slip from our minds, so reminders and fresh perspectives on the most important things in life are always a good thing. Even if you are quite familiar with the law of attraction, this book is a lovely and joy-filled reminder that the course of your life really is all up to you. This isn't heavy reading, but it is happy reading, and happy is very important.
    • 4/5
      This is a wonderful tool for anyone who wants to begin to learn about the law of attraction. It's easy to follow and shares many different people's experiences with the law of attraction. I recommend listening to the book on CDs.
    • 3/5
      Nothing new here. Just in a different package. A bit too much of a sales job for me.
    • 3/5
      At the very basic level, this book did achieve one of its purposes for me, which was to inspire. I've always been a positive thinker, the eternal optimist, but this book also made me aware of something equally true for me: people do have a tendency to dwell on the negative and what they do NOT want in life - ie, I do NOT want debt; I do NOT want people to be disrespectful to me. I've never viewed this as negative thinking, but I suppose, in its own way, it is.That being said, this book is no masterpiece. Please save your hard-earned money on something more meaningful. By all means, read it, but borrow it from a friend, the library, or acquire it (legally!) without having to fork over money. The Secret is not so secret - think positively!! There, I've saved you the trouble. This book was written on an elementary school level, with plenty of short sentences, and !!!! unnecessary amounts of exclamation points. It was also quite repetitive, so much so that I eventually began skipping pages. I give it a fair rating because the book did connect with me on some level, though certainly nothing earth-shattering.
    • 3/5
      The emporer has no clothes.Yes it's true, positive thinking will bring positive results - I get this, but this book is just plain silly and maybe a little sick and twisted. At one point the author talks about asking the universe for a new Mercedes. Doesn't the universe or God have more worthy requests to fill?
    • 1/5
      A pig in a fur coat. Smarmy, to boot. A collection of quotations "explained" and summarized by the author. Honestly, any good book of quotations without commentary would give you better brain food.
    • 3/5
      I wish I could give this book a higher rating as it did have a good message, but the ideas here are a collection of those found elsewhere throughout history. The author isn't presenting something new and bold. I have read lots of religious, spiritual and new age books and already had heard of the 'secret' presented here. I know the book was extremely popular, but the fact that the secret really wasn't a secret makes me less inclined to give it a high mark.
    • 5/5
      Let there be abundance.
      Oh it's already there.
    • 5/5
      Amazing, Interesting, Engaging, and definitely Thought Provoking. I can see why so many have read this book. The principle behind the secret makes sense. One of our favorites at home.
    • 1/5
      This is a guide for being a nicer sociopath. Rarely I have I seen such utter greed and desperation masked as 'spirituality'. This is a disgusting book that panders to the weak minded.
    • 3/5
      A little bit too focused on the material aspect of the Law of Attraction for my taste. I hope that most people picking up a book like this are looking to attract more than a new car and a good parking space. It would be a good introduction to the concept of the Law of Attraction for people without any previous exposure.
    • 4/5
      Everyone wants to bash this book, but it's been working for me. It's basically a screenplay of the movie, so don't expect any more than that.I find its message inspirational.
    • 1/5
      I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, other than there was alot of hype and buzz, and I must say it was a HUGE disappointment. Certainly the main principal/theme/philosophy being proposed is not a new one - it has existed for thousands of years, but the delivery stinks. The book is categorized as Mind-Body-Spirit but it comes across as campy and highly commercial. Although the book is easy to read as the ideas are presented in blocks and bites, there is little substance; it's a bit like someone telling a suicidal person to look on the bright side of life because the sun is shining. I think there are far better re/sources for this type of material.
    • 3/5
      Firstly, I've read this sort of idea before. Positive belief will make the world rosy and pleasant and cause the universe to give you stuff and negative belief causes you to attract negative stuff, and I do believe that a positive mental attitude is a good thing and that being negative isn't always a good thing.But, I'm sorry, this could lead you to believe that you're responsible for all your own woes, and spiral you into a deeper fug than you already were in. Although it is an interesting concept, it also reinforces the idea that it's not random chance or just plain bad luck that makes you have accidents but your own mental attitude. That weight issues aren't down to eating too much but by believing that you're fat.Yes, for some people it's a great book, for some people it will help, for some people it could cause great things to happen to them but for others it could increase their depression or add to their feelings of self-worth. The book is full of US motivational speakers and their positive ideas. Maybe some people would benefit from sometimes reading the quotes. I'm also sure that there are people out there that have found new hope and faith in the world from this book, but this is not the first of it's kind (it's one of the thinner of it's kind) and it won't be the last.
    • 3/5
      If you wish to change your life read this little book, it is very inspiring and positive.
    • 5/5
      I totally went into reading this as a skeptic. I thought it was going to be another Oprah-esque book. The Secret does have wonderful things to say. I very much recommend it!
    • 1/5
      I know the concept has great potential behind it (positive thinking), but the book is terribly written - it's just a collection of quotes without any explanation - it treats it's position as dogma. The whole book can be boiled down to three points: 1) think about your wants, not your "don't wants"; 2) assume and act like you already have what you want; 3) be open to receiving the changes that come. I'm going to try some of the other books that talk about this "Law of Attraction" - hopefully, they'll speak to me in a more intelligent way

    Book preview

    The Secret - R. L. Stine

    Village of Shadyside

    1900

    Nora’s pen scratched against the paper. Dry again. Wearily she thought of dipping the point into the inkwell, changed her mind and, yawning, set the pen down on the small writing table.

    Just for a minute. Just for one minute’s rest…

    Her back ached and her fingers were cramped. She had been scribbling furiously all night by the light of a single candle.

    Nora knew she had to tell her story. And she had to tell it tonight.

    She touched the silver pendant that hung from a chain around her neck. Her fingers picked out the silver claws, the blue stones. Then fire appeared before her closed eyes, burning in her memory. Fire that burned the innocent Susannah Goode in 1692. Two hundred years of hatred and revenge followed Susannah’s death. And then, at last, the terrible fire that consumed the Fear mansion …

    Nora’s eyes filled with tears. Daniel … my Daniel …

    After so many fires, all was in ashes now.

    Sighing sadly, Nora dipped her pen into the inkwell. No time to rest. The story must be told.

    She heard a noise and stopped writing. She listened.

    Footsteps. Someone was coming!

    Her hands trembling, Nora frantically shoved the paper and ink into the desk drawer. No one must see this, she thought. No one can see it until it is finished. And it is far from finished. There are so many horrors left untold.

    So many horrors …

    She held her breath, listening. The footsteps moved closer, closer …

    PART ONE

    Wickham Village, Massachusetts Colony

    1737

    Chapter 1

    VILLAGE OF WICKHAM.

    Jonathan Fier sighed with relief as the wagon rolled past the wooden sign. Their long journey was over at last.

    He glanced at his father sitting beside him on the box of the wagon. Ezra Fier’s face was haggard and drawn, but his black eyes sparked with excitement. He snapped the reins with renewed energy, and the chestnut horse trotted faster down the rutted, tree-lined road.

    We are here, Jonathan, Ezra said to his son. After all those weeks in this wagon, we are finally in Wickham. George Goode is going to wish he had never been born. Ezra’s voice dipped lower, almost to a whisper. Revenge at last. It will be so sweet!

    Jonathan felt a cold chill. Revenge. Revenge for what?

    I still do not understand, Jonathan thought. Who is George Goode? I have never even met anyone named Goode. Goodes have never done me any harm. So why did we have to leave the farm in Pennsylvania? Why have we spent the last six months driving east in this cramped and dirty old wagon?

    Jonathan stole a glance at his father’s gaunt face. We’ve come here to seek revenge against the Goodes, Papa says. Everything he does is for revenge.

    Sometimes I think Papa is crazy.

    Jonathan immediately wished he could take back that thought. How could I think such a thing? he scolded himself. He is my father. He cannot be crazy. There must be a reason for all the misery we have suffered. There must be.

    I have searched for the Goodes through five colonies, Ezra muttered. And found no one. But now— He paused to lift his hat and run a bony hand through his straight black hair. "Now I feel sure. I know they are here. I know I have found them at last."

    Ezra! Jonathan’s mother called from the back of the wagon. Please slow down. The girls are being tossed all around!

    Ezra scowled and pulled on the reins. Jonathan turned on the box and looked back into the covered wagon.

    His mother, Jane, and his two sisters, Abigail and Rachel, were huddled back there, along with all the family’s possessions: pots and pans, dishes, utensils, clothes, blankets, the Fier family Bible, and the little food they had left.

    We have arrived, Mama, Jonathan said quietly. He wondered whether she would be glad or sorry.

    Hurrah! cried three-year-old Rachel, clapping her hands. She was a chubby angel in a homespun muslin shift with a mop of blond curls peeking out from under her cap.

    Jane Fier only nodded. She was fair, with worry lines beside her clear blue eyes. She wore a printed linen dress and a loose white cap.

    I will be so happy to leave this wagon, said Abigail, a red-haired eight-year-old with mischievous blue eyes. She wore a blue- and white-striped linen dress and a white cap with blue ribbons. She looked up to her brother, Jonathan, who at almost twelve was nearly grown up. Mama, will we be able to stop for good this time? Will we be able to sleep in a bed tonight?

    I hope so, Abigail, Jane said.

    I will ask Papa, Abigail said.

    She started for the front of the wagon, but her mother pulled her back.

    Do not bother Papa about that now, Jane whispered He has other matters on his mind."

    He always has other matters on his mind, Jonathan thought with some bitterness. Or rather, one other matter.

    Jonathan faced front again and lowered his black hat over his eyes. He wore his long brown hair tied back. His white linen shirt was dirty from weeks of traveling, and he was growing out of his brown homespun waistcoat and knee breeches.

    As soon as we settle down, he thought, Mama will have to make me some new clothes.

    No one passed them as they rolled down the leafy lane toward the village—not on horseback or on foot. It seems strangely quiet here, Jonathan thought. It is not the Sabbath. Where is everyone?

    At last he saw a carriage up ahead. It was headed toward them on its way out of town.

    Jonathan kept his eyes on the carriage as they approached it. It was shiny and black, a fancy carriage for rich people.

    But, wait, he thought. The carriage is not moving. And where are the horses?

    Something is wrong, he realized.

    Something is terribly wrong.

    The Fiers’ wagon drew closer. Jonathan could now see two horses, but they were lying on the ground. Are they hurt? he wondered, leaning so far forward he nearly fell. Are they dead?

    Closer.

    A foul smell invaded Jonathan’s nostrils. He nearly gagged.

    He could see the horses clearly now. Long dead. Their flesh was rotting, their bones shoving up through the decaying skin.

    Ohhh!

    Jonathan heard his mother utter a cry of shock. He glanced back into the wagon. She had pulled his two sisters close and was covering their eyes.

    Ezra slowed the wagon but did not stop.

    Why was it left here on the road? Jonathan wondered. Why would people abandon such a fine carriage?

    The wagon wheels creaked as they pulled close enough for Jonathon to see inside the carriage.

    To his astonishment, the carriage was not empty.

    Three women were inside, dressed in gowns of fine silk and white lace caps.

    Jonathan stared hard at the women. Their faces.

    The faces were purple, nothing but bone and chunks of decaying flesh, poking out from beneath their fancy caps.

    They’re dead, Jonathan realized, covering his nose with his hand. And they’ve been dead a long, long time.

    Rotting corpses, going nowhere in a fancy carriage.

    Chapter 2

    Jonathan stifled a cry and covered his face with both hands.

    Why have these decaying bodies been left here? he wondered. Why have the villagers not taken them away to be buried?

    Was the carriage and its rotting cargo left here as a warning?

    Stay away!

    Still holding his breath from the stench, Jonathan turned to gaze at his father.

    Ezra was staring intently into the carriage window. Was he shocked by the figures inside? Jonathan could not tell. His father’s face revealed no emotion.

    Ezra— Jane pleaded, her voice tight and shrill. Turn back. We cannot stay here. That carriage. Those women. I have such a bad feeling.

    Ezra turned and silently glared at her in answer. She kept her eyes leveled on him defiantly. Then, without a word, he snapped the reins and urged the horse forward. They headed into town.

    Ezra guided the wagon into the village common and stopped.

    Jonathan glanced around.

    No sign of life. Not another person in sight.

    Jonathan could hold the questions back no longer. Papa, why are we here? Why are we searching for the Goodes? What did they do to you?

    Jonathan, hush! his mother cried. Her eyes were wide with fright and warning.

    For

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