tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42603644141578155782024-02-20T19:35:35.962-08:00The Novel PursuitMy pursuit for the perfect novel...with an emphasis on horror, suspense, and science fiction with an occasional detour into non-fiction. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.comBlogger461125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-15360494459036110072018-04-15T16:29:00.000-07:002018-04-15T16:29:26.591-07:00Life and death in Baghdad<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0143128795/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0143128795&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Frankenstein in Baghdad</a></h2>
<h3>
Ahmed Saadawi</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Penguin Books</h4>
<h4>
January 23, 2018</h4>
<h4>
5 stars</h4>
<br />
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Hadi is a junk yard dealer living in one of the most ravaged
areas in war-torn Baghdad. He is an eccentric man known locally as a
teller of tall tales aka "pathological liar" but his latest story may
actually be true. He has taken to scavenging for dismembered body parts
of the war victims to make a whole "person". His vague objective is to
deliver it to the authorities as a form of anti-war protest. But when
the sewn together body comes alive the creature has his own mission; to
avenge the deaths of those persons that now make up his animated form.
Soon after his creation, reports of killings rise and are attributed to a
grotesque looking individual who cannot be killed. Many people take an
interest in Hadi's story including a reporter named Mahmoud and a
brigadier general who seizes any opportunity to play the various
factions of the unrest against each other. After all, is Whatitsname,
the name Hadi gives the monster, any less horrific as what takes place
everyday in Baghdad?<br /><br /><i>Frankenstein in Baghdad</i> was written
by Admed Saadawi in 2014 and won the International Prize for Arabic
Fiction in the same year. The first American publication occurred in
January of 2018. While promoted as a horror novel, it far surpasses a
simple genre. The reference to Shelly's Frankenstein monster is obvious
but it is not the horror of the monster that takes center stage here.
While Whatitsname is extracting the life from his victims, the range of
terror and atrocities stemming from the war overshadows anything he
could possibly do. Saadawi's novel has a a large quantity of characters.
The "cast" list at the beginning of the book certainly helps keep them
straight. It is essentially their story and not the creature's that is
being told here. The "Frankenstein" of the novel pales to the atrocities
of war and the resulting corruption on all sides. The author uses the
Frankenstein legend to tell his own story and that is the story of the
deterioration of Baghdad and its residents in the midst of an unending
civil war.<br /><br />Make no mistake. This is an anti-war story. Yet our
monster is a sufficiently odd and unsettling one. Like the original
Frankenstein, he is not always sure of his existence and purpose.
Different people see it in different ways from his "creator" Hadi to a
grief stricken neighbor to the madmen who become his assistants. Evil is
everywhere in Sadawi's book but not always distinctly defined. I
suspect that is a given in the war torn Baghdad of the 21st century<br /><br /><i>Frankenstein in Baghdad</i>
may be billed as a horror novel but it is man many non-fiction works.
If I had to pigeon-hole it, I would call it a dark satire. There is much
humor here but it is humor steeped in misfortune and misery. This is
literary horror at its finest and one that should be read and
appreciated way beyond the genre of horror. It may also be the best
anti-war novel I've read in ages. This is an important novel and I do
hope it is given the attention it deserves. The fact that this debut
novel appears on the 2018 Man Booker International shortlist is an
indication of its literary power. Do place this on your to-read list
even if you are not necessarily a horror fan. This book may speak to you
on a whole different level.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-66934603873200767472018-04-09T14:49:00.000-07:002018-04-09T14:49:32.360-07:00A missing girl in East Texas<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0723HDLY5/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0723HDLY5&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Jackrabbit Smile</a></h2>
<h3>
Joe R. Lansdale</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Mulholland Books </h4>
<h4>
March 22, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<br />
<br />
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After reading 13 novels and a handful of short stories and novellas
about Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, I do not just feel like I know them .
I'm feeling like I am a part of their East Texas town. Hap and Leonard
would be the two guys my parents would tell me to steer clear of and the
first person they would call, reluctantly, if they got into a jam. As
police chief Marvin Hansen would say, they are assholes and hardheads
but he would trust them with his life.<br /><br /><i>Jackrabbit Smile</i>
has all the fixings of a Hap and Leonard novel. The duet is fronting
their own detective agency, owned by Hap's old time girlfriend and brand
new wife Brett. They are given a job to find a missing woman, Jackie
aka Jackrabbit. Hap and Leonard are hired by Jackie's extremely racist
mother and brother who gay and black Leonard pounces on like a cat and
treat in his psychologically aggressive style like a chew toy. The job
takes them to Hap's childhood stomping grounds Marvel Creek and they
find out that the town has added a bunch of questionable characters that
includes a white supremacist called Professor. Of course, the big
question is; is Jackrabbit missing or dead and how was she involved in
Marvel Creek's chaotic mix of low life schemers and racemongers?<br /><br />There
are always social issues of race and class lurking in a Hap and Leonard
novel but novel #13 really brings them to the forefront which goes far
to make it one of the best book of the series in a long while. We get
all the snappy dialogue and hard ass action we would expect. Brett plays
a minor role which is OK since the meat of the plot is always centered
around the rapport of liberal and idealistic Hap and conservative and
overly aggressive Leonard. But here is where I need to discuss something
that is both disturbing and exciting that I am catching in the last two
novels.<br /><br />As the series goes, we always expect Leonard Pine to be
the one most likely to kick ass. Hap kicks ass too but it is usually
reluctantly. Yet as the last two novels plays out, and all the novels
are in the first person perspective of Hap Collins, Leonard is more
blatantly expressing a darkness that was always there. Hap realizes it
and seems to know that he has no control over Leonard and that darkness.
The thing is, after 13 novels, where is Joe R. Lansdale leading us?
Will this bode well or ill for the macho bromance that is Hap and
Leonard. I hope the author follows through on this because it could be
taking the series out of its very popular formula and leading us in new
and very tense territory. For this book, it is one of the thing that
vaults this book out of the formula and keeps me guessing where the two
friends may be headed. Do the other readers of the series agree with me
or do they think I'm off the rails a bit? Let me know.<br /><br />The Hap
and Leonard series is one of those series that I highly recommend
starting from the beginning. However if you are reluctant to do that,
this one is stand alone enough to enjoy on its own merits. Ten to one
odds though, after you are through you will be picking up the rest of
them.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-39158790338880649372018-04-06T17:13:00.000-07:002018-04-06T17:13:03.715-07:00Golems, Mitzvahs, and a burning bush<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077XZN2RJ/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B077XZN2RJ&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">The Anarchist Kosher Cookbook</a></h2>
<h3>
Maxwell Bauman</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
CLASH Books </h4>
<h4>
December 12, 2017</h4>
<h4>
4 stars </h4>
<br />
<br />
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Upon reading the last page of <i>The Anarchist Kosher Cookbook</i> and
putting it down, I began to mull over the lack of multi-cultural
influences and references in Bizarro literature. Frankly, it is not a
genre that encourages the liberal use of ideological, ethical, or
religious references. Its surrealism and its tendency to stretch imagery
to unbelievable levels don't always gel well with presenting ideas and
humor of a down-to-earth ethnic and cultural nature. Yes I sure there
are exceptions but none jump out at me immediately.<br /><br />Except for
Maxwell Bauman. The author has presented a sort of "cookbook" on how to
meld the traditions of Judaism into the passages of horror and Bizarro.
Here are a half dozen tales all centering around Jewish culture and
traditions and all unique. Hail the birth Kosher Bizarro! <br /><br />It is
that weird and bizarre turn on Jewish myths and traditions that make the
collection. The first story, "When the Bush Burn" is a take on Noah and
the burning bush without Noah and that particular type of bush. "The
Messiah in New York" is all about the coming of the Messiah.
Unfortunately he gets a little carried away with the raising of the
dead. "You've Lost That L'Chaim" Feeling" takes place in 1831 is both a
love story and a ghost story. It's has a clever winsomeness for its
rather Orthodox setting ("Granted, all the girls looked that way for
modesty's sake, but something about Isha made Chaim hot under the
yarmulke"). It also tells us what what spirits do for kicks. It's my
second favorite piece of short fiction in the book.<br /><br />"The
Leviathan Blues" is about the Creation. It is the saddest story of the
collection, sad and beautiful. The title story of this collection is
just what is should be, a recipe or more accurate a set of instructions.
It might come in handy if you ever need to make a Golem when the Nazi
hordes invade.<br /><br />The gem of the book though is "Baphomitzah",
involving two twins who are about to have their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs.
It's a funny and eventually horrific tale of becoming 13 and being a
insecure middle class Jewish girl with a touch of evil...or is it just
teenage angst?... in her. It alone is worth the price of admission.<br /><br />Themed
collections based on ethnic or religious themes, rise or fall on the
ability to install an authentic sense of culture in the stories. You
wouldn't think that is easy when you are writing horror and Bizarro but
these six stories succeed quite well. The short fiction is also less
enmeshed with the usual excesses of horror and surrealism found in this
genre. This book would actually be good for those reader who just want
something different and not necessarily caught up in genres. I am not
sure <i>The Anarchist Kosher Cookbook</i> would be rabbi approved but Maxwell Bauman should certainly be pleased with his finished product.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-74395526175434762018-04-04T18:11:00.001-07:002018-04-04T18:11:35.329-07:00Working for the mob<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075C3BGD5/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B075C3BGD5&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Blood Standard</a></h2>
<h3>
Laird Barron</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
G.P. Putnam's Sons </h4>
<h4>
May 29, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
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Isaiah Coleridge is muscle for the mob. He is half Maori, very big, and
amazingly intelligent for a man whose job it is to hurt people. He lived
most of his life in Alaska working for the Anchorage branch of the
Mafia but has recently barely escaped execution after foiling a made
man's scheme to slaughter walruses and profit from the black market in
ivory. He is given a reprieve though and is sent to a farm in the East
Coast near New York which can best be described a retirement home /
rehab for forcibly retired gangsters temporarily resting before they are
hit again. While there, he meets a young girl who also had her share of
trouble. After Coleridge saves her from an abduction she ends up
missing. Not the kind of man to stay out of trouble, he begins to search
for her and gets into another spider web of black ops mercenaries,
crooked cops, viscous gangs, and spoiled rich brats.<br /><br /><i>Blood Standard</i>
is a rough edged story of the crime underground but is particularly one
about a man who precariously leans between feeling at home with the
violence and wondering if he has his own moral code that is more
important than that of the mobs. Coleridge is a fascinating protagonist
and there is lots of background that rounds him into a person you can
admire in a way. Mystery literature is full of anti-heroes but here is a
particular good one whose darkness and violent ways struggles to be in
balance with his own personal code. Coleridge is talented in the witty
comeback manner shared by many of the best hardcore stalwarts of the
mystery genre and he has his share of sidekicks of the dubious variety.
He is a bit like a Jack Reacher on the wrong end of the law. But what
really sets this crime noir thriller apart is Laird Barron's very
literary style that comes out like a cross between Raymond Chandler and
Dashiell Hammet with a rural twist. The author is mostly known for his
horror novels and this is his first mystery. That probably explains his
darker than usual turn on the genre that is only lightened up a little
by a wise guy sense of humor. <br /><br />The main joy here is watching
Coleridge battle against the odds and the guns. While he has the crime
solving smarts, in most cases he just barges in like a organized crime
Conan the Barbarian. Unlike Conan though, he has his tender side and can
count without using his fingers. He even has some literary creds in his
choice of reads. This appears to be the first of the series but stands
alone with no real "cliff hanger". My guess is you will heartily welcome
the second Isaiah Coleridge novel when it comes along.
<br />
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
</h4>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-34501661678443116662018-03-29T17:04:00.000-07:002018-03-29T17:04:15.349-07:00Keep digging!<h2>
He Digs a Hole</h2>
<h3>
Danger Slater</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Fungasm Press</h4>
<h4>
February 14, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
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Harrison Moss decides to dig a hole. It isn't so much a desire as a
compulsion and it may have something to do with the seed that he
swallowed that came from the unusual tree in his backyard. He goes into
the tool shed, cuts off his hands, and replaces them with digging
implements. His wife Tabitha is understandably upset with this and his
neighbors are a little confused. Yet this is nothing compared to what
happens when Harrison and Tabitha falls into the newly dug hole.<br /><br />Not
all Bizarro novels are horror but this one certainly is. Yet Danger
Slater is not happy with just scaring you and grossing you out. There is
something else happening here. The author occasionally takes a Italo
Calvino styled look at the mechanics of the novel, letting the reader
look inside his mind. In doing so, he involves the reader and addresses
the reader as the pages are turned. From the books I have read by the
author I am fairly sure he has some kind of obsession with insects and
he does not back down on that obsession. It is difficult to describe
what goes on in this book except to say Slater has a gift at describing
the grotesque. However among all the weirdness, this seems to be a novel
about relationships, separations, and reunions. <i>He Digs a Hole</i>
is a joy to read. No matter how strange it gets, the author still has
both feet on the ground and knows the reader must see some type of
connection between holes, bugs and their own life. It is a feat Slater
completes effortlessly. <br /><br />Yet it is important to state when all is
said and done, this is a horror novel. There is much about physical
transformation which puts it into the strange and uncomfortable genre of
body horror. For those who can understand and revel in such weirdness, <i>He Digs a Hole</i> will be well received. It also will be well received by anyone who enjoys masterful writing.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-34626883172075288002018-03-26T16:50:00.000-07:002018-03-26T16:51:58.353-07:00Just another apocalypse<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0763Z9NN5/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0763Z9NN5&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Hold for Release Until the End of the World</a></h2>
<h3>
C.V. Hunt</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
Atlatl Press</h4>
<h4>
January 1, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
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Currie lives in the city of Daxton (Are you sure you spelled that
right?) and it does not sound like a nice place. She has a terrible
crazy neighbor and a roommate named Kebin (Thank God you didn't spell
that A-n-b-y) who pursues any monetary scam possible without consulting
her. She is humiliated constantly at her job, and buying groceries seems
like a good way to get shot. Oh, and there just might be an apocalypse
complete with rampaging fires heading for Daxton.<br />
<br />
<i>Hold for Release Until the End of the World</i>
is a look at Mid-East America as might have been envisioned by
Hieronymous Bosch. But what makes this one intriguing is how C.V. Hunt
expresses this nightmare. It is with comic resignation and the sense it
is just another day. This is maybe the author's funniest novel to date
and "funny" isn't necessarily a word I would use regularly for her
writings. Yet it is a "Shake your head" and "isn't that the way it
always is" laughter that meets these outrageous and surreal incidents
that the narrator regularly gets into. Of all the awful things that
happens I am sure there is one or more that everyone can identify with.
The novella is essentially black comedy and, as such, speaks to us even
if we don't necessarily have a psychotic neighbor and corpses piled up
in the back shed.<br />
<br />
Oh. And CV. I still think you and you-know-who really need to consider moving.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-66263919858664051222018-03-22T21:57:00.000-07:002018-03-22T21:57:01.409-07:00Dinosaurs in the Amazon<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079FVFLYJ/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B079FVFLYJ&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Monsters in the Clouds</a></h2>
<h3>
Russell James</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Severed Press</h4>
<h4>
January 29, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<br />
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Grant Coleman is a paleontologist with a best selling novel and a greedy
ex-wife. What few people know is that his novel is actually a true
story about a cave in the southwest with huge scorpions, giant bats, and
other creatures. He wrote it as a novel since he is afraid that making
the unsupported claims of what he actually found would not bode well for
his reputation. Thana Katsoros, a shady employee of a exploitative
energy company (is there any other kind in novels like this?) enlists
Grant's help using monetary encouragement and blackmail. They are going
to check out an area in the rain forests of the Amazon that may still
have dinosaurs or other supposedly long extinct creatures. Grant is
hoping for a new discovery and excitement but doesn't necessarily want
to relive the terrors of his last adventure. Of course, that is exactly
what happens. It doesn't help that the trip isn't really what the
organizer said it was and it doesn't seem to matter to her if some of
the participants don't return.<br />
<br /><i>Monsters in the Clouds</i> is the second novel by Russell James that feature the amiable and somewhat harried paleontologist. The first, <i>Cavern of the Damned</i>,
is a exhilarating mixture of giant monster movies and Jules Verne-like
cave adventures. In this second book the author appears to be channeling
a little Arthur Conan Doyle of <i>The Lost World</i> variety. Indeed,
Grant feels like a bit of a stand-in for Professor Challenger although
Grant is a likeable, less explosive type than Doyle's hot tempered
protagonist. The similarity to <i>The Lost World</i> quickly dissipates
though, mainly due to a more modern corporation conspiracy theme and the
addition of a mild love interest for our paleontologist. Just like the
first novel this is an equally fun ride that evokes the early pulp
novels and those grade B horror movies with monsters and big creatures
that shouldn't be big. Grant Coleman is a bit faster on the clever
comebacks here and it suits him. There is an interesting array of
companions for him to play against. A few are simply fodder for what
attacks them but enough have an important role in the on-going tension
of the book.<br />
<br />
These Grant Coleman books are a hell of a lot of
fun. Again, James places enough science in it to avoid a total pulp
feeling but still remains quality pulp adventure. There are a lot of
thrilling action segments. The one that sticks with me the most involves
a jungle bridge that has a surprise to it. <i>Monster in the Cloud</i>
qualifies as pure entertainment. That may not sound like much but how
many novels have you read just for the visceral escape quality. Anyone
wanting to write a horror or science fiction based adventure novel could
learn something by either reading <i>Cavern of the Damned</i> or <i>Monster of the Cloud</i>.
Despite a rather open ended conclusion that screams novel three. I
still highly recommend this to any lover of adventure and monsters.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-26393531675910987192018-03-21T12:15:00.001-07:002018-03-21T12:15:51.948-07:00Of Skeptics and Spectres<h2>
The Elvis Room</h2>
<h3>
Stephen Graham Jones</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
This is Horror</h4>
<h4>
March 13, 2014</h4>
<h4>
4 & 1/2 stars</h4>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
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"There’s a reason that other guest pacing you, three steps ahead, is so silent. It’s that, under his hat, he has no eyes."<br /><br />When
I think of writers who can do no wrong, Stephen Graham Jones
immediately comes to mind. By that, I mean that he has such impeccable
skills as a writer he will transform any plot line he brings to his
pages. The short but haunting <i>The Elvis Room</i> is a good example of
this. With its scholarly professor set-up and its "skeptic is
challenged" beginning, it is reminiscent of older works from Blackwood
and Machen. Yet it is thoroughly contemporary and has its own devious
twists and turns.<br /><br />A scientist studying sleep behavior has a
subject who is terrified of the dark because she thinks she is haunted
by the her unborn twin sister. He rigs an experiment to prove to her
there is nothing in the dark with her but it tends to suggest the
reverse. As this gets out in the tabloids, he is labeled as sort of a
paranormal crackpot. He looks for a clearly provable incident that lifts
him back into the reputation of a serious scientist. He discovers that
every time a hotel books the very last empty room someone dies. He
becomes obsessed with proving the hypothesis of "The Elvis Room".<br /><br />Both
the first incident in the story and the scientist's Elvis Room
experiment become connected and that is where the horror is. This is a
tightly structured story that wastes few words. Its power hinges on
everything coming together at the right time. In others words, it is a
good example of why SGJ is as good as he is. I would call this a
excellent beginning novella for those who want to delve into his work.
Then as soon as you finish it run out and get <i>Mongrels</i>. You will get my drift.
<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-90534811093776732062018-03-20T14:49:00.001-07:002018-03-20T14:49:51.014-07:00The Ring trilogy becomes a series<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1945054638/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1945054638&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">S:Es</a></h2>
<h3>
Koji Suzuki</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Vertical</h4>
<h4>
December, 19, 2017</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTbyxiJIyTmt-EkjuwiaDCeijCXr4BNJIo3pkl0iDvKhJkOXSohn05ZKmmSIrp-5PUOl6Fwjarn7IYqqWfez5iu1l2vlwMENJMu7UxbHZlCZj5K4NBIwLdTTPVjnCM6eFkZjgdixghXY/s1600/34146912.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUTbyxiJIyTmt-EkjuwiaDCeijCXr4BNJIo3pkl0iDvKhJkOXSohn05ZKmmSIrp-5PUOl6Fwjarn7IYqqWfez5iu1l2vlwMENJMu7UxbHZlCZj5K4NBIwLdTTPVjnCM6eFkZjgdixghXY/s320/34146912.jpg" width="213" /></a> <i>Ring</i> Trilogy by Koji Suzuki, who is often called the Japanese
Stephen King, is an amazing set of three books. While everyone knows
the first Ring novel mainly due to the movie, few have read the second
two books, <i>Spiral</i> and <i>Loop</i>, and hence do not know the strange twists and turns the plot takes. I heartily recommend all three books.<br /><br />But until recently I did not know there were other books is the series. Book #4, <i>Birthday</i>, is a collection of short stories based in the Ring universe. Now for the first time in English, we have the fifth book, <i>E:Es</i>,
originally written in 2012 but released in English at the end of 2017. I
would have initially wondered if two more books were needed since the
Ring Trilogy wraps up beautifully and needs no followup. But Suzuki
disagreed obviously and the author is always right.<br /><br /><i>S:Es</i>
is said by the publisher to be a stand alone novel set in the Ring
universe. I'm not sure I agree with "stand alone" but the author gives
you enough back ground to understand what is going on. I'm going to make
the assumption every one knows the premise of <i>Ring</i> and the
cursed videotape where people die seven days after watching it. The
problem is the next two novels add so much more and I'm a little afraid
to spoil it by saying what it is. So let's see if I can give an adequate
synopsis of <i>S:Es</i> without giving too much away.<br /><br />Takanori
Tando, the son of a character in the trilogy, has come across a video of
a hanging execution. The one executed was a killer of four women. But
as Takanori watches the video several times he sees the perspective of
the video is changing. His fiance Akane who is currently pregnant
watches the video by accident and something connects with her. Takanori
begins to realize Akane has a deeper connection and may be related to
some of the personages involved in the original Ring videos and the
virus it carried. The novel becomes a race for knowledge during a time
when both Takanori's and Akane's lives may depend on that knowledge.<br /><br />First,
I think it is important to mention this is not about a tape that kills
people in seven days even though that part of the story does figure into
the final resolution. The plot has gone way beyond that. It is partly a
mystery tale, partly a technological thriller thanks to all that
computer and video equipment, and very much of a horror tale. <i>S:Es</i>
succeeds because it fits so tightly into the sum of the trilogy's
scenario but mostly because Takanori and Ando are interesting characters
with fully realized dilemmas. They are embarking on a new life with
child but Takanori is not sure this will be possible due to what he now
knows. Kayane is also perplexed at the vague implications but dives into
the fog hoping to see clearer skies ahead. This is not an easy book to
follow, especially if you haven't read the first three, but Suzuki does
manage to pull the complex plot together. <br /><br />I'm not sure I can
recommend you read this unless you read at least the first three books.
However, if you have it fills in a number of areas and manages to be
vastly entertaining. <i>E:Es</i>, like the others, are intellectual
horror thrillers with a dose of science fiction. They are in some ways a
mind game and I feel for that reason one is richer to have read them. <i>E:Es</i> is not as riveting as the Trilogy but still solid in its four stars.
<br />
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The <br />
<h4>
<br /></h4>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-15144990160439778972018-03-12T13:51:00.000-07:002018-03-15T11:06:39.755-07:00A Wild West allegory/fantasy<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399180168/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0399180168&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Unbury Carol</a></h2>
<h3>
Josh Malerman</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
Del Rey</h4>
<h4>
April 10, 2018</h4>
<h4>
5 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
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Anyone who reads my review knows that I am heads over heels in love with
the novels of Josh Malerman. You must believe me when I say I am not
being paid to say that. He is that good. His first novel was <i>Bird Box</i> which is the type of horror novel veteran writers would give their non-dominant arm for. The second novel, <i>Mad Black Wheel</i>, is just as good. Now we have his third novel, <i>Unbury Carol</i> and, for reasons to be related soon, it is the most unusual of the three and the most exciting in many ways.<br />
<br />
Carol
Evers has a very rare condition. She can elapse into a coma at any time
which can persist from 2 days to a week. it is so deep that even
doctors mistake it for death. The only people alive who know about the
condition is her ex-lover outlaw James Moxie and her husband Dwight
Evers. When Carol falls into her coma this time, Dwight is prepared to
tell all that Carol is dead. He intends to bury her alive in what he
sees as the perfect murder. it is up to James to ride to her rescue, a
task that will not be made easy since an arson loving hit man is also on
his trail. <br />
<br />
<i>Unbury Carol</i> is a departure for the author in
several ways. Like his last two books, it has clear aspects of horror
especially in the segments that depicts Carol's dream-like coma and some
vague supernatural aspects. What is perceived as magic and what isn't
is a regular theme in the book. But it also threads finely between
horror, western, and suspense. The world depicted in the novel is very
much that of a Wild West environment and the era of the late 19th
century. Yet it isn't really stated as such. The region is essentially a
closed system independent of any known references, consisting of two
main towns, Carol's Harrows and James' Mackatoon, connected by a route
simply known as the Trail. The rest of the towns on the Trail are little
more than watering holes and traps of temptations for the traveler.
There is a Pilgrim's Progress sense of allegory here. James Moxie is a
lost soul haunted by his decision to leave Carol due to her illness. The
Trail is his pilgrimage to save Carol and redeem himself. James find
both villains and allies on this path but it is Smoke, one of the most
evil bad guys I've read about in ages, that dominates the horror of the
chase. While James races to get to Carol in time her husband, who is
pretty despicable in his own way, attempts to fulfill his "perfect
murder" plot despite a mortician and a lawman who senses something isn't
right.<br />
<br />
On top of all this, we also get an account of Carol's
residence in her coma which she calls Howltown. These are the most
horrific segments in the novel and probably the segments that will scare
most people. Being caught in a coma is terrifying enough but to know
you have full conscience and helplessly waiting to wake up six feet
under is the stuff most people would rather not think about. Carol's
Howltown though, has its own dreads to pile on top of Carol's very real
fear of premature burial.<br />
<br />
Under a less skillful writer, and
presuming it was written as a straight Western genre novel, it still
would have been an intriguing idea. But there is something about
Malerman's setting and how he employs it that sends it into pure wonder.
The author's Wild West world is a fantasy world of his own. There is no
real life references to where it is or even to the actual time frame.
Most of the action in the novel could be explained by our real world
environment but there are hints and actions that tip us off to that not
being the case. This hedging of realities gives this novel an uniqueness
that I believe most writers would have trouble pulling off. Malerman
doesn't just pull it off but shoots it with all barrels out of the park.
The other great strength of the book is its characters. The four main
character, being Carol, Dwight, James, and Smoke are also incredibly
strong and three dimensional. But even the more minor players such as
Sheriff Opal, The mortician Manders and an especially hyper but
marginally moral Rinaldo becomes essential in this impossible to put
down fable.<br />
<br />
I use "allegory" and "fable" intentionally for this is
what really stays with me. It's about correcting past mistakes and
redeeming ones' self and the consequences of ignoring both. It is based
on a vaguely familiar world but filled with the type of actions similar
to those we have made, regretted and wish to amend. it is also filled
with those less admirable character who made evil decisions and are
unable or unwilling to recognize them or correct them. <i>Unbury Carol</i>
works on so many levels it's almost ridiculous. it can be scary as
hell, It is a story of love and redemption, and it is a vastly
entertaining western action saga. And this is where those "reasons to be
related soon" comes into account. Where <i>Bird Box</i> and <i>Mad Black Wheel</i> were superb horror novels by a creative writer, <i>Unbury Carol</i>
shows that he can be unlimited in where his imagination takes him and
he can turn what would be a good but conventional idea into something
that aggressively gnaws at your imagination.. The idea of Josh Malerman
let loose in the literature world is most exhilarating and pleasantly
terrifying by itself.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-55386236957529667202018-03-12T13:36:00.001-07:002018-03-12T13:36:55.300-07:00First blockbuster thriller of 2018<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250144841/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250144841&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Sometimes I Lie</a></h2>
<h3>
Alice Feeney</h3>
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
Flatiron Books</h4>
<h4>
March 13, 2018</h4>
<h4>
5 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
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"My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:<br />1. I’m in a coma.<br />2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.<br />3. Sometimes I lie."<br /><br />Alice Feeney from the first page of <i>Sometimes I Lie</i>
lets us know we are dealing with an unreliable narrator. How unreliable
may be unimaginable even by the most savvy thriller reader.<br /><br />As
warned by the author, Amber Reynolds is indeed in a coma. That is the
first fact we can accept. Through Amber's first person narration we
learn she does not know how she ended up in a coma, at least not at the
beginning. Amber can hear the people who visit her in her hospital room
and soon learn there was an accident but she has no memory of it. To
make things more complex, her perceptions on what is happening to her
may be muddled by hallucinations and incomplete input while in the coma.
But she is sure that her husband have fallen out of love with her and
she suspects he may have had something to do with why she is where she
is.<br /><br />Alternating with her experiences in the coma, we get more
info from other chapters that cover the days before the accident and a
diary that was written twenty years earlier. All of this hold key clues
on what is really happening, Asides from Amber, we learn about key
players; not only her husband Paul but Amber's sister Claire, a
returning ex-boyfriend Edward, and Amber's very unsympathetic colleague
Madeline who works at the local radio station with her.<br /><br />And none of this adequately prepares you for what is actually going on.<br /><br /><i>Sometimes I Lie</i>
is a spider web of a novel. Each passage is a fine thread that works
with the others to trap you in its web. I cannot tell you how many times
this novel surprised me and not one of the surprises felt forced. It's
fairly impossible to tell you any more about the book without giving too
much away. It's sort of a cliche nowadays to say you are better off
going into a book cold but that cliche is more true here than in most
suspense novels I have read. What I can tell you is that the twist and
turns within this novel are impeccably timed to leave you disoriented
and anxious for more. <br /><br />In the present state of the psychological
thriller, unreliable narrators and alternating chapters of time and
perception are the rage but I have never seen this pulled off as well as
in this book. Amber is empathetic in her predicament and reasonably
paranoid about the people who visit her and what she hears. Yet She has
her own secrets which are revealed throughout the book. She is the focus
though most of the novel but the other characters become more solid and
three dimensional as time goes on. Alice Feeney is as much as a juggler
as a novelist and it is amazing to watch her go through her paces
without dropping a pin. More amazing is how the novel transcend its
tricks and gimmicks and allows you to become totally absorbed in the
character and emotionally mesmerized by the outcome. It's a stunning
outcome that I predict will be leaving some people confounded and
thinking "what did I just read?"...in a good way.<br /><br />To be honest,
I'm not a very good predictor of commercial success in novels. But I
feel I am reasonably safe to say this will be the first blockbuster
thriller of 2018 and will deserve every bit of its acclaim. I feel more
safe stating, in this early stage of the year, this will be a top
contender on my best of the year list for best novel.<br />
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<h3>
<br /></h3>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-14551620095842953592018-03-06T10:58:00.002-08:002018-03-06T10:58:29.901-08:00Hunted<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1612969844/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1612969844&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">The Tracker</a></h2>
<h3>
John Hunt</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Black Rose Writing</h4>
<h4>
March 1, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
<div class="reviewText mediumText description readable" itemprop="reviewBody">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYO2HCS37WgGMQ4AtARhaCQS6r5amwEATtP8n_yDzRB9X7cP4T6nQMz5oLjFyhIVWwg5nM3sKSJ-dWOR9SjBZzel1pKss8bXej2G-y-zOiUU5syoeLzVhPrjx-UMIIn8W5_t5R5DrLlU/s1600/37502315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="266" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYO2HCS37WgGMQ4AtARhaCQS6r5amwEATtP8n_yDzRB9X7cP4T6nQMz5oLjFyhIVWwg5nM3sKSJ-dWOR9SjBZzel1pKss8bXej2G-y-zOiUU5syoeLzVhPrjx-UMIIn8W5_t5R5DrLlU/s320/37502315.jpg" width="212" /></a>With only two novels out, John Hunt is the author to watch in the horror and suspense genre. His first novel, <i>The Doll House</i> is a tight mystery thriller that keeps you guessing. His new novel is <i>The Tracker</i> and while <i>The Doll House</i> was a mystery with strong elements of horror, <i>The Tracker</i> is all horror.<br /><br />Taylor
is an young but obese man with a even more obese mother who dies and
leaves Taylor alone in their house. Taylor has no real friends and, like
many with severe weight problems, grew up with his share of peer
persecution and misery. Shortly after his mother dies, he begins to see a
strange man in a fedora. That man starts breaking into his home
although the police can find no evidence and no signs of entry by anyone
but Taylor. The man finally reveals himself to Taylor as "The Tracker"
with an ultimatum; Evade me for 2 days and you live. If i catch you I
will brutally kill you. Do not reveal who I am or ask for help for there
will be consequences. Taylor does ask for help, and the consequence
only digs Taylor in deeper and makes him the subject for several
murders.<br /><br />John Hunt has a casual but riveting style. He gets into
the meat of the novel rather quickly. In fact maybe too quickly since at
first I thought the premise did not have enough grounding for the
reader to believe the unbelievable. I was wrong though as the author
throws a few curve balls at us and the reader is wondering who the
killer really is. A good part of the novel centers around Taylor telling
the interrogating detective his story. The detective is a good listener
and a good questioner for it is the questions he asks that causes the
first half of the book to unravel into something even more creepy. Of
course I am not going to tell you what that is. <br /><br /><i>The Tracker</i> is a book where the thriller lover may protest the strong domination of the horror elements, sort of the exact opposite of <i>The Doll House</i> where after a terrifying beginning it calms to a psychological aftermath story and a whodunnit. <i>The Tracker</i>
starts out slower for a few pages then goes full terror fest. The
amount of taut plot structuring is quite impressive and rarely allows
the reader to take a breath. Hunt's novel is essentially a variation of
the innocent man on the run and being terrorized by both villain and
police. However once the twists show up in the second half it becomes
something else. It will be interesting to see where Hunt goes next. Will
he become a suspense writer, a horror writer, or will he dabble in a
bit of both. He has the chops to do either or both and it will be
intriguing to see what twisted little scenario he will conjure up next.
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-72979760561597929152018-02-26T17:12:00.000-08:002018-02-26T17:12:39.018-08:00A terrifying take on the Donner Party<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735212511/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0735212511&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">The Hunger</a></h2>
<h3>
Alma Katsu</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
G.P. Putnam's Sons </h4>
<h4>
March 6, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 & 1/2 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvBQsRDnRKu6DpNPRFiHCbHa8sWnrcuREibqTY4-5bAO69pBvxcHFs8CTqaKDOj8j8wUMZ4yeeX1cgewMXFBVS6SOeXcrcN8JrrA5wY6b5wdDhSQPsX3Tq67TGYjOZsPLB8B-rq_ZoBQ/s1600/30285766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="264" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbvBQsRDnRKu6DpNPRFiHCbHa8sWnrcuREibqTY4-5bAO69pBvxcHFs8CTqaKDOj8j8wUMZ4yeeX1cgewMXFBVS6SOeXcrcN8JrrA5wY6b5wdDhSQPsX3Tq67TGYjOZsPLB8B-rq_ZoBQ/s320/30285766.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
For those who never opened their American history textbook in school,
The Donner Party was a group of families, a total of about 90
individuals, who were traveling by horse and wagons to California in the
years of 1846 and 1847. After a series of misfortune and tragedies,
they became trapped in the Sierra Nevada mountains in the winter. Only
45 survived to make it to Sutter Fort. The stories that came from the
survivors were those of vast misfortune, fatal decisions and accusations
of cannibalism.<br /><br />Alma Katsu's fictional account of the Donner
Party misfortunes comes with another imaginative addition, that of the
supernatural. <i>The Hunger</i> is a highly successful mixture of the
historical novel and the horror tale. The author for the most part uses
the name of the actual persons in the party, adds a few other historical
personages like the trapper and scout Jim Bridger, and adds just a few
fictional characters. Even though several characters figure in the main
narration, the main protagonist is James Stanton, a single man on the
trip who has secrets of his own. In a sweeping narration like this it
often becomes difficult to keep track of all the characters. I found
myself, after a few pages, perusing over the actual history of the
Donner Party just to get a better idea of the events. I found that
Katsu's account, with a major and obvious exception, was fairly loyal to
it. That exception is "The Hunger".<br /><br /><i>The Hunger</i> is both an
historical novel and a fantasy. I imagine this is a difficult thing to
do. Katsu uses some back stories to give us an view of the various
persons that figure in the telling and to be honest, I do not know how
much of their back stories was real, especially for James Reed, Tamsen
Donner, and Charles Stanton. These three characters figure strongly in
the events to come. The author manages to do an impressive job telling
the story in an historical sense but deftly adds a sense of terror as
she introduces an element of horror into it. Another historical element
that is important is that the Donner Party's misfortunes starts a long
time before they reach the Sierra Nevada. The novel begins in Wyoming
slightly before they reach Fort Bridger and the tragic events that
befall the pioneers starts pretty much at that point both historically
and in this fiction.<br /><br />This is where this review gets tricky. The
Donner Story is horrific enough without adding a supernatural element.
Much of the novel is based on the complex interactions of the members of
the party. Stanton's tenuous relations with the Donners is much at play
here as well as his troubled past. James Reed's falling out with the
travelers plays a role yet I suspect the reason it does is partly
fictional . At some point, the reader must put aside Katsu's deft
handling of the historical aspects and realize this is a horror novel.
That horror is added subtly while the author immerses the reader into
the interactions and tribulations of the party members. Yet that horror
finally takes hold of us. This is where Katsu shines. From the beginning
I expected the horror to be of a much more traditional nature and I do
believe the author intentionally leads us that way. Yet Katsu has her
own tricks and we get something different than what we expect. It is a
neat trick and one that fits keenly into the characters that we have
become involved with.<br /><br />Throughout the novel, the author plays with
our sense of wonder and curiosity. She gives us enough historical
background to feel rooted while keeping us informed now and then that we
are essentially reading a horror novel. She adds a creative something
to an incident that was already pretty horrific. Most interesting to me
is that, despite the creative addition of her own imagination, we do get
a strong sense of the difficulties that the Donner Party went through
and what their own frailties added to their bleak tale. It is sometimes
hard to separate the real and the imagined in this novel and I believe
that is the strength. We could always read an historical account if we
want to know what exactly happened to the Donner Party. But it is a
story that even in its historical reality confounds the imagination and
makes one wonder how something like this could happen in spite of the
many warnings the Donner Party received on the way.. Katsu teases it
with a tale of horror that relies on a combination of folk legend and
our own human nature and makes it just a little more terrifying and
therefore entertaining to the reader that dares to stretch the
imagination. There were a few times where the imbalance between
historical and fantasy stretches a bit but overall <i>The Hunger</i> becomes a riveting tale of human nature and the fear of the unknown.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-53425048140937148552018-02-21T12:41:00.000-08:002018-02-21T12:41:27.886-08:00An unsuccessful mix of miltary tale and vampires<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Demons-Richard-Jeffries-ebook/dp/B0738JM5TT/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519245091&sr=1-1&keywords=9781516105014">Blood Demons</a></h2>
<h3>
Richard Jeffries</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
Lyrical Underground </h4>
<h4>
March 20, 2018</h4>
<h4>
2 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfxuW6xUEUonvKl-OqKlFGtbFQBaSkdgwP6G8GBSzt_ut-qeVBC9MWBg8HYAWY2sGfnlqPJDaNX-uXJ94qfMkkdDUFgD7hw3QtBTJW16LMKRCu6UzxbseG1xjeEmzfX1e4HhhcQ6cmes/s1600/38120840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisfxuW6xUEUonvKl-OqKlFGtbFQBaSkdgwP6G8GBSzt_ut-qeVBC9MWBg8HYAWY2sGfnlqPJDaNX-uXJ94qfMkkdDUFgD7hw3QtBTJW16LMKRCu6UzxbseG1xjeEmzfX1e4HhhcQ6cmes/s320/38120840.jpg" width="197" /></a>In South Dakota, a couple throw a child with a bomb off the top of Mount
Rushmore and destroys the monument. In the middle east, a secret
military unit is exploring a tip that might link to the planned
destruction of the monument and find signs of a secret group that may be
the original source for the legends of vampires.<br />
<br />
In a nutshell, this is the idea behind <i>Blood Demons</i>
by Richard Jeffries. It is an intriguing one and I was really looking
forward to it. The basic plot is inspired and the combination of
military adventure and horror is a nice touch. I really wished it took
off but it didn't. I think there is a lot of blame to be spread around
for this. But if I picked one it would be characterization. No one
character ever become real and this is especially true for the main
protagonist /unit leader Major Josiah Green. At least one character
should stand out for the reader and it just doesn't happen. Add on some
stiff and forced dialogue that doesn't always fit the situation and the
desire to root for the characters disappears. Jeffries' demons, The
Vetala, fares slightly better mainly due to attention regarding their
origins and rituals and a link to vampire legends, but it just doesn't
meld well especially when the Mount Rushmore attack, one of the best
written scenes in the book, is largely forgotten as rather muddled
action scenes in Afghanistan takes center stage. <br />
<br />
So all in all I
found it to be a choppy book. There wasn't really enough to keep my
attention even though I struggled through it. I really cant give it more
than two stars which I admit are mainly for what the book could have
been rather than what it is.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-33793640553413212942018-02-13T17:40:00.000-08:002018-02-13T17:42:20.020-08:00From the frying pan....<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079KGQWNV/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B079KGQWNV&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Broken Shells: A Subterranean Horror Novella</a></h2>
<h3>
Michael Patrick Hicks</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
High Fever Books</h4>
<h4>
February 2, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span id="goog_1536695461"></span><span id="goog_1536695462"></span>First, I want to say I liked the main character Antoine DeWitt
immediately from the first page. I am not going to say why for the fear
of alienating some of my readers who may not have the same lack of
affection for a person, or type of person, as I do.. But it placed me on
his side and I stayed there to the ending of this action packed horror
novella.<br />
<br />
Antoine is fired from his job for doing something that
would cause me to hire him. Antoine has not lived an easy life. He has
spent two years in jail for what was basically a frame-up and is now
jobless with a girl friend and a child struggling in the poor part of
the city. When he gets home he has mail from a car dealership that tells
him he won five grand. He knows its a scam but his girl friend
convinces him to check it out. From that point on, Antoine's life goes
from shitty to terrifying.<br />
<br />
<i>Broken Shells: A Subterranean Horror Novella</i>
is more than a moral tale about "no free lunch". It is a novella that
is all terror and action. Antoine finds himself fighting off insect-like
demons and wondering whether the life he had was really that bad and
realizing how much he has taken for granted. Of course this is in
between trying to keep his head from being bit off and chewed. The
"Subterranean" in the title tells you this takes place mostly
underground but the real villains are above in the car dealership
practicing their evil tradition. This is not by any means an unique
idea. We've seen it before. But there is something fresh about it and I
think it is Antoine himself that gives us that freshness. He is not our
usual hero. He had made mistakes before, he is given a chance which
turns bad, and we root for him even in the most hopeless situation. He
is Everyman trying to do good in the most extreme situation. Think <i>Die Hard</i> with humanoid insects.<br />
<br />
<i>Broken Shells</i>
is a fast read and always an entertaining one. While it breaks no new
ground, it does a lot with old soil. It is a fun read to start off this
new year. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-55589872731308153562018-02-10T16:57:00.002-08:002018-02-10T16:57:59.000-08:00What does your dog really think of you?<h2>
Hell Hound</h2>
<h3>
Ken Greenhall</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Valancourt Books</h4>
<h4>
March 14, 2017</h4>
<h4>
5 stars</h4>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Baxter is a bull terrier. He lives with in a precarious relationship
with an elderly woman. Baxter sees the young couple next doors and
wonder if that would be a better match for him as he tries to figure out
these strange two legged creatures called humans. So one night, he
places his body between the woman's legs and the long flight of stairs
going down.<br /><br />Baxter is a sociopath. He loves nothing yet has a
curious obsession with humans and what they can teach him and what he
can teach them. After a try with the young couple, that ends up for them
no better than that of the old lady, he finds what may be a kinship
with a young boy who is fascinated by Hitler and has as little capacity
for love as Baxter. It is a match that will not bode well for anyone.<br /><br /><i>Hell Hound</i>
was written in 1977 by Ken Greenhall. If you never heard of him, you
are not alone. We learn from the excellent introduction by Grady Hendrix
that Greenhall wrote only six books before he passed away in 2014, not
writing anything for 16 years before that. <i>Hell Hound</i> came out
during the flood of horror paperbacks in the 70s and was undeservedly
neglected. It is a minor masterpiece and certainly a horror novel ahead
of its time. While other books of the 70s delighted in demon children,
slashers and a bevy of visceral horrors, <i>Hell Hound </i> is
deceptively quiet and vastly disturbing. Its sense of horror is directly
related to Greenhall's subtle style. While murder and violence is
present in the book, it is more unsettling to hear Baxter's own thoughts
as he ponders over those who "own" him.<br /><br /><i>People
have a great capacity for loyalty for those who seem to depend on them. I
have benefited from that loyalty but I don't understand it. Urinate on
their carpets, chew up one of the objects they endlessly accumulate.
They sometimes punish but in their loyalty they always forgive. Does
their loyalty have any limits? Some day I'll know. Soon, perhaps. </i><br /><br />While
most of the novel is in third person narration, there are interspersed
passages that are from Baxter's first person...er...dog...viewpoint. And
therein lies the brilliance of this tale. We usually view dogs, as
least the pet variety, as an extension of their person. Baxter's
evilness does not come from nurturing. He is truly evil. In fact, we see
that his later ward's control of him doesn't make him meaner or more
violent than he already is. Baxter is actually rather philosophical
about who he kills and insists on being the one who decides. His equally
sociopathic ward focuses him and give an understanding of the evil
existing beyond him. The kind he must learn from and conquer.<br /><br />Despite the stylish subtlety that we don't usually see in a book like this, <i>Hell Hound</i>
fits quite well among the horror novels of today. It has a cynical look
on love and loyalty all the more disturbing since it is coming from
man's best friend. It is certainly different from anything of its nature
that I have read before . Comparing it to a contemporary canine of its
time, Cujo was a sick doggie. Baxter is an intelligent bundle of terror.
Of the two, Baxter is the one that will keep me up at night wondering
what my pets really think of me.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-16921182237711289802018-02-06T17:32:00.001-08:002018-02-06T17:32:14.084-08:00Don't touch the doorknob!<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0793MV68L/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0793MV68L&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Sick House</a></h2>
<h3>
Jeff Strand</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
Amazon Digital Services LLC </h4>
<h4>
January 17, 2018</h4>
<h4>
4 stars </h4>
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgar_6Ty3U4hx3b-i-8FpwbTcf3zDi23JsvrUqpJF86pbIxOulUgnD92e4OhT_nsgAm6eATWdVm-wlL7V72urNTjAatWmBxiWCy0_ZEpTRC1UXtZ_6tP1N2josabSmarJ5K1k1myld28vk/s1600/38092072.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="267" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgar_6Ty3U4hx3b-i-8FpwbTcf3zDi23JsvrUqpJF86pbIxOulUgnD92e4OhT_nsgAm6eATWdVm-wlL7V72urNTjAatWmBxiWCy0_ZEpTRC1UXtZ_6tP1N2josabSmarJ5K1k1myld28vk/s320/38092072.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
It's nice to see Jeff Strand returning to straightout horror. He never
really left it but the past books have really run the gamut from YA to
ogre fantasy to road trip romance. <i>Sick House</i> is pure
unadulterated horror, a combination of breaking and entering terror and
haunted house thrills. Strand's infamous wit is still intact of course
but....boy! Does he lay on the horror and gore in this one!<br /><br />Boyd
Gardner gets a promotion and moves his wife and two daughters into a new
house rental. Unbeknownst to him, a gruesome trio of murders happened
in the house . More disconcerting is the fact that three hit men were
killed in the house to avenge for the death of a witch and their ghosts
are still in a murderous mood. As far as hauntings go, this one is one
of the more visceral ghost novels you will find. There is a short amount
of buildup with strange happenings but it doesn't take long for the
author to hit full stride with non-stop action. The Gardners are the
type of family that makes for a fun read, complete with a smart-ass
teenager and a quick witted mother. Boyd is no wimp either, going head
on with the killer ghosts all the way to the end. Despite the heavy
horror and gore, this is actually a fairly fun read, going full roller
coaster throughout.<br /><br />I like this type of Strand novel. I like most
Strand novels but this feels like a step back to the roots. I suspect
it was as much fun to write as to read. Fact, exciting and entertaining.
If that is what you are looking for in a haunted house story with
undead hit men then this is a must read.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-33597550664284352932018-02-01T12:53:00.000-08:002018-02-01T12:53:06.975-08:00Don't grab me, Bro!<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0734S9PFR/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0734S9PFR&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">How to Tell Your Cat about Trump</a></h2>
<h3>
Breaking Burgh</h3>
<h3>
</h3>
<h4>
Amazon Digital Services LLC</h4>
<h4>
June 22, 2017</h4>
<h4>
3 stars </h4>
<h2>
<br /></h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e81_9ulYjW5dBHtxZLLWoYFOkFfBz3nDPj5wONdcmYFB2tkXimCMseLtfZto-jBTzfbN2oeIZNSaHUtSyM4W59BOESL6UpF7g4Jc_ahsL_lOY9xgZM3Jsga4nvQoT83MzWUyNndM1PM/s1600/35507704.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7e81_9ulYjW5dBHtxZLLWoYFOkFfBz3nDPj5wONdcmYFB2tkXimCMseLtfZto-jBTzfbN2oeIZNSaHUtSyM4W59BOESL6UpF7g4Jc_ahsL_lOY9xgZM3Jsga4nvQoT83MzWUyNndM1PM/s320/35507704.jpg" width="200" /></a>I didn't used to worry about my cat Fred. During the election campaign,
Fred would appropriately hiss at the screen whenever Trump appears. He
seemed appropriately concerned about being grabbed and whether or not he
would be deported. After all, we are pretty sure Fred has some Persian
in him. But now that it has been about a year, he has become complacent
about our new president. He just yawns or grooms himself when he sees
Trump on the TV now. Is Fred becoming complacent or, worse, a secret
Trump supporter?<br />
<br />Thankfully, the satirical blog and concessional
publisher Breaking Burgh has addressed my concern and the concerns of
liberal cat owners nationwide. First thing to remember is, even though
you would like to believe it is true, your cat probably isn't a liberal
to begin with. Most cat are libertarians owing to the delusion they are
independent creatures while totally relying on you for their needs. When
cats realize that Trump isn't trying to grab them or tax their tuna
they may be more susceptible to the lure of Trump. The authors help you
determine if your cat is a secret Trump supporter. I was happy to know
Fred did not exhibit any pro-Trump behaviors. For example , he doesn't
hiss at Mexicans, illegal or otherwise. Fred is an equal opportunity
hisser.<br /><br /><i> How to Talk to Your Cat About Trump</i> is brief and
cute. It is clearly satirical and is unabashedly liberal in nature. It
does require that one has an open minded sense of humor in order to
enjoy it which it why I would not recommend this to our current
president. However for most cat lovers and people who just like to
laugh, it is a cute diversion.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-89299158704590975202018-01-20T16:21:00.001-08:002018-01-20T16:21:41.511-08:00Immortality has a price<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XBHW866/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B06XBHW866&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra</a></h2>
<h3>
Anne Rice & Christopher Rice</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Anchor Books</h4>
<h4>
November 21, 2017</h4>
<h4>
3 & 1/2 stars</h4>
<br />
<br />
<br />
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I believe Anne Rice lost her charms with me after the fourth or fifth vampire novel. The first three, starting with <i>Interview with the Vampire</i>,
are masterpieces and cemented Rice's fame no master what she ended up
writing. But even those novels soon started feeling like she wasn't
really into it anymore. They became extended and tired run-throughs of
the same ideas. The few other novels I read outside of the vampire niche
didn't really grab me . But there is no denying Rice can be a
mesmerizing writer in her best moments.<br /><br />Her newest novel, <i>Ramses the Damned: The Passion of Cleopatra</i> is a sequel to her 1989 novel <i>The Mummy</i>
which I have not read. To be honest, this particular book got my
attention because it was co-authored with her son, Christopher Rice. In
some ways, Christopher Rice is a more interesting writer for the 21st
century and if you have not read him you should. Check out <i>The Heaven Rises</i>.
Rice's style has many similarities to his mother and in this new book,
they mesh well but I believe I see a little spark in Anne Rice's writing
I haven't seen for a while. Perhaps it is the spark of a proud mother.<br /><br /><i>The Passion of Cleopatra</i> starts where the first one left off. It would probably be best to read <i>The Mummy</i>
first but the authors give us enough background to proceed if you
didn't. Ramses and Julia are betrothed. Cleopatra does not die in the
train accident and fire but is cared for by a doctor who develops a
slavish devotion to her. Most importantly we discover that the
originator of the immortality potion is still alive and another immortal
who is looking for the potion is searching has his own obsessive
reasons for doing so. It appears, as Cleopatra has already found out, a
little potion is not necessarily a good thing. <br /><br />There is of
course much more with lots of sub-plots and characters. Julia's brother
who had a tragic romance with Cleopatra in the first book and a woman
named Sibyl who has a mysterious and disturbing connection with
Cleopatra are two of the more interesting characters asides from the
lead protagonists. But this introduction, or rehashing, of these plots
and characters tend to slow down the novel and it really doesn't go into
full gear until about halfway through. It pays to get there though and
it does give us a connection to the characters when it goes into full
swing. Anne Rice always had a very Victorian feel, in my opinion,
despite her modern sensitivity to emotions and sex and her son seems to
play into that well enough to blend in with the style. <br /><br />Overall, <i>The Passion of Cleopatra</i>
is an entertaining read. I think those, like myself, who soured a bit
on Anne Rice novels in the past will find this to be worth reading.
Those who love Anne Rice or liked the first Ramses the Damned book will
not be disappointed.
<br />
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</div>
<div id="review-follow">
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-60458284020791668372018-01-13T22:32:00.000-08:002018-01-13T22:32:04.971-08:00Audiocast: The Martian by Andy WeirAuthor David Agranoff and I did another audiocast where we discussed Andy Weir's new novel, Artemis. You can check it out below.<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-35468411906613994652018-01-05T17:04:00.001-08:002018-01-05T17:04:28.929-08:00Domestic trauma, different perceptions<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250130921/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250130921&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">The Wife Between Us</a></h2>
<h3>
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
St. Martin's Press</h4>
<h4>
January 9, 2018</h4>
<h4>
3 & 1/2 stars</h4>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
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At the beginning of <i>The Wife Between Us</i>, we quickly become
acclimated to three main characters. The first one is Vanessa, the ex
wife of a wealthy almost perfect catch of a husband. The second is
Nellie, a young woman who works two jobs as a school teacher and a
waitress and is now the fiance to the catch of a husband. The third is
that husband, Richard.<br />
<br />
Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen gives
us these protagonists in a series of alternating chapters between Nellie
and Vanessa,. Nellie's chapters are in third person while Vanessa's are
in first person. This goes on for a third to half of the novel. Then
Hendricks and Pekkanen throws us a hell of a literary curve ball. What
it is will remain unsaid since it is at the center of everything that
happens from that point on. Suffice to say, it is downright brilliant
leaving the reader disoriented and rushing to keep up. Interestingly
Richard doesn't get his own chapters. He is purposely seen from the eyes
of the other narrators which is an important point in itself. Overall
the pacing, the structure and the twists are all evidence of the
authors' brilliant style and plotting.<br />
<br />I wish I could say the
second half of the novel keeps up but it doesn't. It doesn't fall apart.
In fact, we become even more involved in the three characters and how
the plot will unravel. It just lags after the big reveal. There are two
basic reasons for this. First is a continuous weave of background
stories interspersed in the narrations. It is sometimes difficult to
tell the present and the past in the narrative and I'm not sure if that
is intentional or unintentional on the authors' part. More importantly
much of it, but not all, seems like filler and doesn't add to the story.
The second reason is an ending that meanders and drags. We get one more
twist at the end but this time it feels forced and unrealistic, very
much unlike the earlier twist.<br />
<br />What does work though works well.
Vanessa becomes our main narrator and maybe an unreliable one. We do not
know at first if we can believe her side of the story or how stable her
mental state is. <br />
We are given clues throughout, but the authors'
building of the tension keeps us guessing until the very end. You
probably notice I've said very little about the plot and more about the
structuring of the plot. This is because the less you know, the more you
will enjoy it. Basically, it is a story about an ex-wife, a soon-to-be
wife and the man connected to both. It is not so much a suspense
thriller in the conventional way but more of a tale about human
perceptions and psychology. And this is why it works in the final
analysis.<br />
<br />Despite the problems in the second half, I still
enjoyed it. I just wished it stayed as tight in the second half as the
first half. Overall though, I believe most readers will become quite
involved with the main characters and that is why this novel has the
good possibility of being the first blockbuster read of 2017. Even with
my hesitation, I do recommend it for those who want a different form of
suspense thriller.
<br />
<h4>
</h4>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-90433720240107703802018-01-01T16:47:00.002-08:002018-01-01T16:47:41.177-08:00It's all about the Ouji<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1939905354/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1939905354&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Tales from a Talking Board</a></h2>
<h3>
Edited by Ross E. Lockhart</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Word Horde</h4>
<h4>
October 24, 2017</h4>
<h4>
3 stars</h4>
<h4>
<br /></h4>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bnWcppfaNrQoi3IorKPQcmlBAEAZJfZuyFk1jvLTXmeGsFyIENOujeDel31Vf-hoyaChZWypy0k-fuOOd6FZHV9E5Mw5-8UIxwuruDf5fK4RFuXE5cXf8ni69pmglGQfm0DWnouvTq0/s1600/35693995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="259" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bnWcppfaNrQoi3IorKPQcmlBAEAZJfZuyFk1jvLTXmeGsFyIENOujeDel31Vf-hoyaChZWypy0k-fuOOd6FZHV9E5Mw5-8UIxwuruDf5fK4RFuXE5cXf8ni69pmglGQfm0DWnouvTq0/s320/35693995.jpg" width="207" /></a>"What do you mean you don't believe in ghosts? You read horror books!"<br /><br />I
get that a lot. It is surprising how many people think that because you
love a literary genre titled horror you must believe in all the things
between the pages. Ghosts, Demons, anything supernatural. I used to
reply. "If you like to read Tolkien. do you believe Hobbits are real?"
but I got tired of the blank looks. No, I do not believe in the
supernatural. I believe in the preternatural. For me, Horror is not
about understanding the supernatural but understanding ourselves and the
fear and doubts that bind us.<br /><br />And if one more person says, "I
like horrors books too. Especially true ones like The Amnityville
Horror" I'm going full Jody on them.<br /><br />Now to the review...<br /><br />Full
discloser. I have never used a Ouji board, either by myself or with
others and probably never will. First of all, if you know they are not
real, they are kind of boring. Second, while it is not real. our
imaginations are and I do believe believing something is happening when
it isn't affect us and not always positively.<br /><br />But Ouji boards are
part and parcel to many plots of horror stories. They are the
conventional gateway to the spirit world for many residents who live
between the pages of a horror novel. <i>Tales from a Talking Board</i>
edited by Ross E. Lockhart consists of 14 pieces of short fiction
covering the board but isn't limited to it. Some of the stories involve
seances, divination, tarot cards among other things. But they all have
to do with conversing with the spirits in one way or another.<br /><br />There
are some good stories here but none that really blow me other into the
other dimension. All the authors are skillful but not all caught me up
in their story. This is not to say it isn't quite entertaining. it is.
Interestingly I wanted more stories actually about Ouji Boards and I
found those that kept to the traditional the most satisfying. On the
other hand, I did appreciate how many of the writers seem to be looking
for something new to say about this tried and true warhorse.<br /><br />Of
the stories, I especially liked the early 20th century vaudeville
setting of "Wegee Weegee, Tell Me Do" by Anya Martin. It captures the
early days of the Ouji board craze with a feminist twist. "Spin the
Throttle" by David James Keaton tells us we can have the frights of the
board without the board. But the one that made my hairs stand on end was
Tiffany Scandal's "Grief"which is about as straight a horror story you
will find here.<br /><br />There were others that stood out. Nathan Carson's
"When the Evil Days Come Not" is part mystery, part horror and very
different. Nadia Bulkin's "May You live in Interesting Times" is a much
needed look at the subject from another culture. Finally for this short
and incomplete survey, "Questions and Answers" by David Templeton is a
humorous look at the Ouji while giving us a glimpse on what is happening
n the other side.<br /><br />There are eight other tales or varying quality
but the above six stands out. As with many anthologies there is the
usual unevenness but certainly there is enough to entertain. This
collection would appeals mostly to those who either have an interest in
Ouji boards or just likes tales about communication with the dearly
departed. It's a good if not exceptional collection.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-73612647295447896242017-12-28T13:54:00.001-08:002017-12-28T13:54:45.430-08:00Audiocast: Best Novels of the YearAuthor/Critic David Agranoff and myself put together this look at our top ten books of the year. It is about an hour long as we interview each other about our favorites reads of 2017. Hope you enjoy it.<br />
<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-64246065285078563382017-12-25T13:25:00.000-08:002017-12-25T13:25:25.790-08:00The perils of high school<h2>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/194404454X/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=194404454X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">We Came Back</a></h2>
<h3>
Patrick Lacey</h3>
<h3>
<br /></h3>
<h4>
Sinister Grin Press </h4>
<h4>
April 15, 2017</h4>
<h4>
4 stars</h4>
<h4>
</h4>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Some people see high school as the best years of their lives. Other see
it as the horror they do not want to go back to. I'm in the latter
group. Maybe it's why I liked <i>We Came Back</i> so much because the demons of my high school would have felt at home in the old haunts of Patrick Lacey's Lynwood High School.<br /><br />Melvin
Brown is one of those kids for which high school was hell. At the
bottom of the food chain and ignored by even the teachers, he takes a
gun to himself in the cafeteria and kills himself. The creatures he drew
endlessly in his notebook may or may not have had anything to do with
it. Ten years later, The now abandoned old Lynwood High seems to be
calling the best and the brightest and now they are dressing Goth and
calling their "club" the Lynwood Vampires. <br /><br />To be sure, the monsters of <i>We Came Back</i>
seem more demonic than vampiric to me. Yet they are at the heart of
this novel which makes some interesting twists on the theme of teen
cliches and angst. Also at the center of this book is Frank, a high
school teacher who was present at Melvin's death and is now attempting
to protect his daughter Alyssia from the evils of the world. Needless to
say, Alyssia is led straight to the allures of the Lynwood Vamps.<br /><br />Patrick
Lacy's tale has some very scary moments and is quite entertaining as a
straight horror story. The perspectives of the teens and one teen's
parent is at the heart of this book and, despite a good amount of gore, I
think the young adult crowd would enjoy it. Melvin, or more precisely
what he becomes, is a first class terror which feels like a cross
between a Lovecraft monster and a vampire. There are a few problems that
crop up. For instance, the late introduction of a weapon to fight the
monsters that comes out of left field and challenges one's ability to
accept the farfetched. However there isn't anything that takes away from
the fun. Others might want to know why it is The popular students and
the jocks that are initially drawn to the strange cult but for those who
remember high school in a darker light, we know that many of those
students are one step from the demonic to begin with.<br /><br />OK, so I read my own baggage into this a bit. I think others will too. <i>We Came Back</i>
is a good horror tale but its setting and its character are likely to
take you back to your own school experiences and that is part of the
fun. This is straight horror and a very entertaining read at that.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4260364414157815578.post-27397059644838042972017-12-20T15:44:00.001-08:002017-12-20T15:48:59.165-08:00Best novels of 2017 and moreAs usually at the end of the year, I present my list of the ten best novels of 2017. It was a very rich year for novels. There are also a few honorable mentions and
"best of" categories.<br />
<br />
1. Final Girls - Riley Sager<br />
2. In the Valley of the Sun - Andy Davidson<br />
3. Nails - M. P. <span class="text_exposed_show">Johnson<br /> 4. Liquid Status - Bradley Sands<br /> 5. Bone White - Ronald Malfi <br /> 6, Agents of Dreamland - Caitlin R. Kiernan<br /> 7. Flesh Trade - David Arganoff & Edward Morris<br /> 8. The Fourth Monkey - JD Barker<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100009496506316&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/jdbarkerauthor?fref=mentions"></a><br /> 9. Secrets of the Weird - Chad Stroup<br /> 10. The Boy on the Bridge - M. R. Carey</span><br />
<br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
Honorable Mentions (all other novels this year receiving five stars from me in no particular order)<br />
Kind Nepenthe - Matthew V. Brockmeyer<br />
Home is Where the Horror is - CV Hunt<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=1336627699&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/verlorenfagan?fref=mentions"></a><br />
Cavern of the Damned - Russell R. James<br />
Rusty Puppy - Joe R. Lansdale<br />
Doll House - John Hunt <br />
Mad Black Wheel - Josh Malerman<br />
<br />
And the rest...<br />
<br />
Best single author collection: Men Without Women - Haruki Murakami<br />
Best multiple authors collection: Nights of the Living Dead - Jonathan Maberry & George Romero<br />
Best non-fiction: Paperbacks from Hell - Grady Hendrix<a class="profileLink" data-hovercard-prefer-more-content-show="1" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=743393876&extragetparams=%7B%22fref%22%3A%22mentions%22%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/grady.hendrix.9?fref=mentions"><br /></a><br />
Best YA novel: Turtles all the Way Down - John Green<br />
Best WTF Novel: The Fetishists - AS Coomer<br />
Best 2016 novel I read in 2017 - The Nightly Disease - Max Booth III<br />
Happy holidays to all my readers!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752442138922413318noreply@blogger.com0