A horror novel that hits close to home

Dream of the Serpent

By Alan Ryker

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Quite a few years ago, My wife and I were in a major car accident. My car was totaled but miraculously everyone in the accident had no more than a few minor cuts and bruises. I remember having to squeeze myself out of the car wondering how so much twisted metal managed to miss hitting both of us. But since then I have been very alert to the fact that our lives can change instantly in a few seconds or be forever altered by a split second decision. It is something I knew intellectually before. But now it has a deeper more intuitive meaning and the knowledge has forever heighten my appreciation of what I have and for the fragility of life.

Dream of the Serpent by Alan Ryker is about that. Cody Miller is a successful young man who is in a horrible fire brought on by a second of forgetfulness as he texts his girl friend. For the next third of the novel and in first person narrative, we are witnesses to the devastating experiences of a burn victim. Each moment and action is described in torturous detail. It is not something that everyone will be able to read. Just as devastating are the descriptions of Cody's thoughts and emotions as he endlessly relive that one moment and thinks about what could have been "if". He is immersed in his own pain but also privy to the emotional pain of others around him. Cody's girlfriend lives with the thought that she may have been at least partly responsible and those feelings reignite her past drug addiction.

As you can see, this is pretty heavy stuff. If this was all, Dream of the Serpent would still be a very powerful book especially with Ryker's ability to bring alive the emotions and feelings of the characters. Yet this is a novel of the supernatural even though the story proceeds halfway through without any trace of the other-worldly. Cory is having dreams of what his life would be like if the accident did not happen. Soon he gets a phone call from his girl friend. "I think I found a way to fix everything."

At this point, things change. I won't say how but I sure it is the sort of the thing accident victims..no..all of us at some point in life have dreamed about. The author examines, in the unpredictable style of horror fantasy, the consequences of altering our life and the devastation our actions have on others. While the first half of the novel is steeped in the physical horrors of the natural world, the second half explores, in a just as horrific but more psychological way, the horror of our actions and the effect of them on the ones we love.

This is a superior horror novel; one that should be remembered for its power and relevance. I found myself looking back on my own experience while reading it and thinking about how different things could have been if I reacted a second later or that chunk of metal moved only one foot closer to me. I also wondered that if we could change something terrible in the past, would the sacrifice be worth it. There is always a sacrifice, in real life as well as fiction. It's that type of novel. The kind that makes you a little uncomfortable. The kind that makes you look at your own choices. And the kind that makes you glad you read it despite the horrific descriptions and uncomfortable feelings it evokes.

My highest recommendation.

YA for the real world

The Tyrant's Daughter

By J. C. Carleson

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

When The Tyrant's Daughter was offered to me for review, I was not aware that it was from Random House's Children's Books division, aka a Young Adult novel. If I have known this, I probably wouldn't have accepted it as I rarely review YA books. I glad I did read it because, YA or not, it may be a contender for best fiction in 2014.

Laila is a fifteen year old girl and the daughter of a controversial ruler of a foreign country. Her father is killed in a coup by her more traditional and military-minded uncle leaving Laila, her mother, and her six year old brother, who she describes in the first sentence of the book as "The king of nowhere" in peril. Having escaped with her family and now living in America, she not only has to adjust to a very different lifestyle but is confused by her mother's seemingly indifference to their decline from opulence and importance to rather sparse surroundings as exiles. She is suspicious of the gatherings of expatriates, who her mother would have not associated with in the past, and particularly of a lone American man who she suspects is with the CIA. She is also discovering through her new friends and the much more open media, that her father may have not been who she thought he was.

In telling Laila's story, and in immersing the reader into the thoughts of this smart but sometimes innocent girl, J. C. Carleson makes some wise moves. While there is enough information to clearly place Laila's country in the Mid-East and presumably a Muslim nation, the author never makes it specific. This allows the reader to be less judgmental and accept Laila as she is; a young girl caught in a myriad of cultural and political conflicts. Yet the events that take place in the novel seem all too real to anyone with even a slight knowledge of world events. Carleson has managed to latch on to just the right amount of empathy without the baggage that often accompanies this type of cross-cultural tale. Laila is just a young teenager trying to grow up, but also a victim in a nasty power game and maybe even a unwilling player of the same repressive regime. Her conflicts and dilemmas seem real especially since she essentially comes across as a typical teenager despite how others see her. She is also smart and appropriately cynical, especially when she asks herself things like, "Why am I the only one seems to feel luck like a sunburn?" How she survives her plight is what makes this story mesmerizing. I won't give away anything about the end except to say that it is as emotionally perfect and powerful as endings can be.

While The Tyrant's Daughter is classified as YA, it should be noted that the author does not water down anything. While respecting her audience, she does present some events that can be disturbing to the very young. For the teenage audience that I feel this book is aimed at, it is exactly the right amount of reality that they would respect. But I do not see this as purely a YA novel. I think adults will love and admire it too. Beside, in a YA world where fantasy and science fiction dominates the charts, it is nice to see a quality work that deals with the real world.

A novel aboul identity and authenticity

Strange Bodies

By Marcel Theroux

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Strange Bodies is science fiction. But it is the kind of science fiction that is a springboard for larger conceits. In this way, it is similar to the novels of Margaret Atwood and Doris Lessing in that it is much more interested in philosophical examination than future speculation. The author Marcel Theroux has written a novel about identity and the state of reality. That put him in the company of a definitive sci-fi author, Philip K. Dick. Yet Theroux throws another philosophical log on the fire. What is authenticity? If your conscience can be duplicated and placed into someone else, is that person you? Is he every bit as authentic in his emotions and meaning as you?

A man, simply called Q, is living in a mental asylum. His identity is unknown to the doctors but he states he is Dr. Nicholas Slopen. This is impossible since the death of Dr. Slopen is well documented and the patient looks nothing like him. Through Q's chronicles and pasted psychiatric notes the mystery unfolds. We discover that Dr Slopen was asked to authenticate some letters by 18th century British writer Samuel Johnson. The letters appear authentic in the sense of subject and writing but are clearly not, due to the kind of paper used which was not in existence during Johnson's time. We are then introduced to savant Jack Telauga who can perfectly enact the writer's style. Yet there is more to this than imitation and this is where we go into sci-fi territory. Could the conscience of James Johnson, or anyone else, be transferred to a body? What does this mean for the rest of society. Would that make one immortal?

These are just some of the questions Theroux tackles. This is a somewhat complex and dense novel. Yet it is a compelling read because Theroux has created some complex and compelling characters. Slopen is not very likable at first, being stuffy and full of himself. Yet as the plot develops he is brought along by the intricacies of the plot and we see him developed into a fuller protagonist. Jack is both fascinating and pitiful, while the other characters are alive in their motives which we find out eventually. The most poignant parts of the novel for me is when Slopen ruminates on his past life as the physical Slopen, dwells on his mistakes which he can never correct. It is a emotional novel drenched in what-ifs and why-nots. But we are always brought back to identity and the idea that we are real...or are we?

Identity and the fragility of reality seems to be an occurring theme this year. I recently finished E. L. Doctorow's new book, Andrew's Brain in which the author tackles many of the same questions in a totally different way. But I found Theroux's more elegantly structured tale to be much more enlightening in this area. even if it may bring up more questions than answers.

A quality Lovecraft tribute

Dead Five's Pass

By Colin F. Barnes

Rating: 3 and a 1/2 out of 5 stars

This is the second book I've read from Darkfuse's novella series. They continue to be of good quality and pretty straight-ahead horror. Dead Five's Pass by Colin F. Barnes is a great read for the Lovecraft crowd. It is a nice addition to the Cthulhu Mythology and does a good job of combining modern horror and Lovecraftian elements. The ancient ones are stilling reeking havoc, this time in a mountain resort area and it is up to two mountain rescue professionals with a bit of history between them to try to save the world. The author is quite excellent at describing the horror of the ancient ones complete with madness and tentacles. While Barnes certainly has a good grip on this horror sub-genre, the novella also has a firm action-adventure feel as our heroes race against time. The only thing that bothered me was in the relationship between our protagonists. It seems a little too soap operatic for my taste and took away some of the dread. Yet I think most readers will not necessarily agree with me. I still see it as a firm three and a half star read and would like to read more

Quiet terror from Darkfuse

Menace

By Gary Fry

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Menace by Gary Fry is part of the Darkfuse novella series. I was given a few of the books for review purpose. Menace is the first one I've read and I have to say that, if this novella is typical of the series, it is a quality act indeed.

Gary Fry's short novella (about 60 or so pages) is a quick read but it is nicely paced and manages to convey a good bit of...if you pardon the redundancy...menace. The tale is about a model, Jane Marlow, who finds herself pregnant by a B-movie actor. She considers aborting it but soon becomes fond of the idea of having her child. She is also developing some strange behavioral and physical changes as is the father...

This story works because the author introduces these changes logically and gradually, along with strategically placed clues about what may be going on. This is not a blood and gore story. It is more of a supernatural psychological suspense story, the kind that grabs you slowly but firmly. The ending may not surprise the seasoned horror fan but it is quite satisfying in that eerie "gotcha" way. This is also my first book by Gary Fry and I am very pleased with it. I believe Fry and the Darkfuse novella series will be in my radar for a while. If you like your horror on the quietly scary and somewhat literary side then this novella is for you.

Short but not so sweet

Phoenix

By Chuck Palahniuk

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I'm not a big fan of Chuck Palahniuk's novels. That is a little odd since I will concede that technically he is one of the best writers alive. As i have often said, he writes like a sumofabitch. Yet he is also unrelenting in his nihilism and creates characters that are void of passion and hope. The pessimism and feeling of existential void that permeates his writing tends to be overpowering. I don't think I have ever rated one of his novels more than two stars. It says a lot about the writer, and perhaps me, that in Fight Club, the only interesting and sympathetic character is the imaginary one!

But his short fiction is another matter entirely. In the shorter format, horrific elements play out faster. The shock of the plot (there is always a shocking plot) carry you through and you will find yourself riveted, maybe grossed out but, above all else, entertained. You will also have more time to contemplate just what is Palahniuk trying to say and why did they let him out of the asylum.

Phoenix is one of those marvelous Kindle Singles. At about 30 pages even the slowest reader should finish it in an hour. But it packs a wallop. It features a dysfunctional family and a strange, perhaps psycho, mom. She is away from home and all she wants to do is hear her blind daughter's voice over the phone. She seems to blame all her misfortunes on others which is never a good sign in a story or, for that matter, in real life. In an odd way, it reminds me of the great short story, The Yellow Wallpaper with the roles reversed. Palahniuk's short fiction is clearly horrific but stays with you like the throbbing pain of a hammer-smashed finger.

Perhaps one day Palahniuk may write a novel that gives me the same goose-bumps and dread that his short fiction does. But if you are someone like me who find his novels a bit too much, or a novice reader who simply wants to check out the king of gross, then Phoenix is a good way to put your toe in the muck.

Mystery, horror, or soap opera?

Descending Son

By Scott Shepard

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars.

Descending Son wants to be a mystery, a horror novel and a soap opera all at the same time. All that does is stretch the story into a meandering mish-mash. It starts out well as a mystery with our main protagonist returning home to his ailing father after a seven year absence. A mysterious car accident and the strange demise of his father moves the novel into suspense mode. Yet after a third of the tale passes, a supernatural aspect emerges and we are in horror city. I don't want to ruin the "surprise". Lets just say it's an over used concept. This isn't to say that this type of mystery / horror hybrid of family secrets haven't been done well before. It's just that the author's blending of current events and past comes across a bit too choppy and haphazard. Not to mention that I am getting tired of the cliff-hanger ending that hints a sequel. Can't anyone write a single stand-by-itself book any more? I'm tempted to give it an extra star just for being based in my hometown but frankly, the Coachella Valley and Palm Springs locales doesn't really add much. Overall, I found this to be a major disappointment. I'm still waiting from something worthwhile from the Amazon First program.