August, 2011 Reviews

AUGUST 2011 REVIEWS

(NOTE: The "smell ratings" at the end of some reviews rate the actual SMELL of the book and have nothing to do with the story.  Smell Ratings: 5 = excellent, 1 = odorless, 2-4 = you figure it out.  Book Key: hc = hardcover / tp = trade paperback / mmp - mass market paperback / rarer forms described.  Unless otherwise noted, all reviews are by Nick Cato).

PREVIEW:

COSMIC FORCES by Gregory Lamberson (to be released Oct., 2011 by Medallion Press / 380 pp / tp)

After battling an unusual serial killer in PERSONAL DEMONS and defeating an army of drug-spawned voodoo zombies in DESPERATE SOULS, private investigator Jake Helman returns in yet another action-packed case.  This time the wife of New York City's mayor hires Jake to see if her hubby is cheating on her.  What he discovers is far worse than a role in the hay: it seems the mayor belongs to an ancient order who have been manipulating world events for centuries . . . and the only way for Jake to bring these guys down is to join them.

But before Jake joins the order, he tangles with assassins, strange, hooded creatures, and through a folk lore expert, learns the legend of Avadiim, who turns out to be an all-too real octopus-like god who is worshipped by the mayor and his cronies.  Jake's ex-wife (as well as Cain and Abel) return from the afterlife, giving this installment its heaviest supernatural edge yet (and also some of its more emotional moments).

For fans of the series, there's a slight step taken in Jake's relationship with his psychic neighbor Laurel, and his former partner is still living in the form of a crow named Edgar.  Its highly recommended that newcomers check out the first two books in the series, as there's plenty of mention here of what came beforehand.

Despite losing an eye in the second novel, Jake's still as hard as nails as he deals with crooked politicans, battles man-sized as well as giant monsters, and even manages to help his ex-partner's teenaged son to get out of an obscure new age cult (!).

COSMIC FORCES' 380 pages fly by like lightning, and fans of the series will be satisfied.  Lamberson's modern noir/supernatural horror hybrid has become a must read for me.

Smell Rating: 2

MISTIFICATION by Kaaron Warren (2011 Angry Robot Books / 303 pp / tp and eBook)

Warren's latest novel deals with a young magician named Marvo (a REAL magician, not one of those phoney illusionists) who harbors some amazing powers.  With his parents gone, his grandmother takes care of him, and when a bunch of thugs try to kill him, she takes the boy to a secret room in a huge house where they live for four years(!).  The boy spends his days listening to his grandmother's life stories of magic, and also sneaks out daily to find them food.  If you can get past this whole premise (which I had a hard time doing), you'll probably stick around for the next act, in which Marvo's grandmother dies, forcing Marvo to finally venture out into the world.

Without any formal education, Marvo fends for himself by doing whatever he can, and also by "collecting" stories from the many people he meets (there's quite a few of these stories here, some of which tried my patience to the max).  He winds up in a psychiatric institution where he eventually gets into a relationship with one of the nurses.  They take off and begin performing magic shows together, and as a couple continue to collect stories from everyone they come into contact with (and while some of these stories are interesting, It seems like they're here for filler).

MISTIFICATION had the potential to do alot more than it does.  Marvo's powers are more discussed than actually used, and it seemed as if Warren was holding him back for some mysterious reason.  While there's some fine moments (especially during Marvo's magic act at a young child's birthday party), I kept waiting for more to happen, but it never did.

In the hands of a lesser writer, I don't know if I would've made it through MISTIFICATION; Warren's prose is always smooth and tight, and I liked the whole "real magic" angle at play here, but like her novel SLIGHTS, there's that same THING going on that seems to be keeping her from unleashing that true classic I KNOW she has in her.  A decent read, just don't expect too much magic...

DOOM MAGNETIC! by William Pauley III (2010 New Flesh Books 2010 / 132 pp / tp)

Maundin is on the run with a stolen purple television and hiding out in Chorizo, Nevada.  Unfortunately for him, a Japanese assassin from his past, along with some hungry aliens, are hot on Maundin’s trail.  Riding through the galaxy with a new partner, on his way to deliver the stolen item, Maundin is then captured and sent to his doom.  What’s a guy to do when he’s been listening to a voice in his head?

DOOM MAGNETIC! is a sci-fi western novella that reads like a bizarro comic book without the pictures (although it’s so descriptive you don’t need any pictures to complete the reading experience).  William Pauley III has created some unique and wonderful characters existing in a bizarre futuristic world of a planet in pieces, dark voids and genetic engineering gone oddly wrong.  Full of grit, gore, sex and violence, DOOM MAGNETIC! is an entertaining and fast-paced read.  And I discovered William is a David Bowie fan.

-Colleen Wanglund

HELL’S WATER by Thomas James Brown (2011 Lulu Publishers / 286 pp / tp)

Adam and Nick are university friends and roommates.  They are also very heavy drinkers.  Most nights of the week Adam and Nick can be found with their friends at the local pub drinking the night away.  They all knew the risks…to themselves and their grades.  One day, and Adam can’t remember when exactly, friends started to disappear and Nick’s behavior changed.  Adam began having nightmares but didn’t understand what they were.

  

With the help of his new friend Ross, Adam will try to stay sober long enough to help Nick, who seems to be unable to do without booze.  What they ultimately discover started with a stupid prank but led to demonic possession.  Will Adam be able to help Nick or is he a lost, and dangerous, cause?

Part horror, part dark comedy, HELL’S WATER is a dry (no pun intended) and interesting take on demonic possession and alcoholism.  The story by Thomas Brown is solid and keeps you guessing for quite some time as to the cause of Nick’s odd behavior and Adam’s recurring nightmare.  What I like most about the book is it’s cerebral horror….it has blood and the supernatural, but it’s not a book you can just skim through.  You need to pay attention, but it’s worth it. The character development is spot on and most readers will find someone to relate to.  While the narrative flows at a steady pace, I found myself a bit disappointed not only in the explanation of what happened to Nick, but as to the “how” it all happened.  I felt it came up just a bit short there.  Overall, though, HELL’S WATER is an entertaining and smart read with an ending I didn’t expect….and I like the unexpected.

-Colleen Wanglund

GOING MONSTERING by Edward Lee (2009 Bloodletting Press / 225 pp / hc)

Eeeeeeeeeeeewwwww. 

Eew yuck. Yuck yuck yuck!!!!

I may have said so before in previous reviews, but THIS time I MEAN it … Ed Lee has really outdone himself. Some barrels have no bottom, and in GOING MONSTERING you’d need a deep-core oil rig or bathyscaphe to even get close. 

It’s appalling. It’s revolting. It’s nauseating and gorge-lurching. 

Debasing and vile. 

The details are DETAILED. I mean, whoa. 

The sensory descriptions will make you want to scour your brain with a wire brush. And bleach. And fire. You may discover that your very soul can projectile-vomit. 

The characters are one and all loathsome. Nothing likeable about ANY of them. Awful, awful people. Make-you-hate-humanity people. 

And yet I read the whole thing. Every page. Every sick, sick, twisted, nasty, unspeakable page. Couldn’t put it down. Couldn’t look away. 

The story is of three young women – losers all, two fat chicks and a skinny one, two bitter desperate skanks and one ignorant-to-the-point-of-stupid ‘good’ girl – being pledged to the Alpha House sorority. 

Alpha House, full of gorgeous and staggeringly successful babes. And it’s hard to decide who to despise more. 

To get in, the pledges have to make it through a week of tests and initiation. It starts off with bitchiness, verbal abuse and humiliation right from the first few pages and takes a screaming downhill plunge of a dive into terrible depths from there. 

Taboos, suffice to say, are violated. Almost all of them, really. 

You might be reading along, cringing, trying to comfort yourself by thinking it can’t get any worse. Wrong. It can, it will, and let me tell you, it DOES. 

There are no big plot twists, no surprises. Right from the start you know how this one’s going to go. You know what’s going to happen. You know how it’s going to end. You know how, and where, and how far. 

No, wait, I lie. There’s illustrations. THAT was a surprise! Especially as I was reading in the lounge of a cruise ship, most of the passengers of which were nice elderly Dutch people. Turn a page and OMG! I could have lost a finger to paper cuts. 

Ed, with all due respect and affection, seriously, I love ya man, but daaaaaaaaamn …

I don’t know if there’s much more I can say about this one, except that I sure do hope it never gets made into a movie!

-Christine Morgan

LUCIFER’S LOTTERY BY Edward Lee (2010 Dorchester / 336 pp / tp)

Woohoo—another visit to the Mephistopolis! I cannot get enough of Edward Lee’s take on Hell, the most fiendishly well-thought-out setting I’ve ever encountered, infernal or otherwise. World-building seminars at specfic cons, game designers, take note. THIS is how you do it!

Expanded into full-length novel from a novella called “The Senary,” LUCIFER’S LOTTERY is the story of Hudson, who’s about to enter seminary. He’s a man of good deeds and resisting temptation. Even when he sets out with the deliberate intention to sin, he can’t quite bring himself to do it. Even when he witnesses again and again the bleak worst of the world around him, he hangs onto his faith. 

Or hangs onto his guilt and fear … Hudson comes off as kind of a weasely self-serving jerk, actually. 

Then, Hudson receives news that he’s won the Senary, a form of lottery. He, out of everyone on earth, and for only the twelfth time in history, has been selected for this once-in-an-eternity all-inclusive prize package. 

He even gets a Dante-esque guided tour, personally guided by H.P. Lovecraft. Here’s Hell, the vast sprawling teeming city of it, running on torture and suffering and mutilation. Here’s what happens to the ordinary sinners and damned, torments galore. 

But, for the Privilato? For those Senary winners? It’s wealth beyond measure, luxuries untold, every carnal pleasure imaginable and some unimaginable. Celebrity! Fame! Power! Be the envy even of Archdukes and demon princes! All this CAN be YOURS! And wait! There’s more! Fringe benefits for the duration of your earthly life! 

Sounds tempting? Too good to be true? There must be a catch?

Wellllll … if you want to be PICKY … it does kind of mean spitting in God’s eye and snubbing the otherwise-assured glories of Heaven that Hudson has waiting for him. But aside from that? Nothing to worry about, honest. 

Meanwhile, as Hudson reels from the offers and experience, other storylines unfold. Two immense projects in Hell are nearing completion, a suicidal wheelchair-bound veteran on earth keeps having his plans interrupted, the rebel fallen angel Ezoriel’s resistance fighters are busy, and Lovecraft’s woeful sulking make him a hilarious scene-stealing Eeyore. 

The sixes drum might get beaten a bit overmuch, but otherwise it’s a rollicking return to the Mephistopolis. The Big L. has even more of a hate-on for females than ever before (talk about revenge porn!) in the wake of the INFERNAL trilogy. 

As always, it’s the little touches I enjoy the most. Demonic fashion tips, economy, cuisine, lifestyles of Hell, creative anatomy, culture … that’s what it’s all about. And what’s best? The ending leaves plenty of room for another sequel!

-Christine Morgan

THE FECUND’S MELANCHOLY DAUGHTER by Brent Hayward (2011 ChiZine Publications / 245 pgs / tp)

The city of Nowy Solum hasn’t seen the sun in over a century.  Sitting under a perpetual gloomy cloud cover, Nowy Solum is a dying city on the brink.  It is overcrowded, dangerous and segregated.  There are the humans with red blood running through their veins and the kholics, with black melancholia in theirs.  A limbless prophet makes his way to the city with news of a change coming.  The gods have woken from their slumber and have returned.  And there is a monster caged in the catacombs of Nowy Solum’s castle that hears all and knows all that goes on.  Her predictions of the future don’t bode well.

Part horror and part bizarro, THE FECUND’S MELANCHOLY DAUGHTER is a story about beliefs, racism, fear, and suffering.  The city’s leader lives a life of debauchery and her charge is falling apart around her.  By separating a set of twins, she has possibly touched off the coming end of her city.  The monster helps tell some of the story, which is extremely well-written.  As a matter of fact, the monster was my favorite character.  She is dangerous, spiteful, and yet somehow endearing.  The kholics seem to contain all of the negative emotions of humans, but the red-blooded humans seem to be no better off.  The character development is excellent and is never overdone.  The descriptiveness used by Hayward paints a very bleak place on its last legs, but also shows us other enclaves full of hope for the future.  The narrative flows at an even pace while keeping the reader fully engaged to the end.  There is nothing predictable or cliché here.  THE FECUND’S MELANCHOLY DAUGHTER is a wonderful and entertaining read.

-Colleen Wanglund

Smell Rating: 5

THE SAND DRAGON by Michael F. Stewart (2010 Double Dragon Press 2010 / 255pp / tp)

When an intact skeleton or a pterosaur is found in the tar sands of an oil refinery in Canada, paleontologist Kim Axon heads out to the site only to discover she’s been shoved aside in favor of anthropologist Bythell.  When the skeleton disappears in the middle of the night, Kim is beside herself and demands some answers.  She doesn’t trust Bythell as far as she can through.  Meanwhile, Patrick, who was given a fossil from the site by his aunt, goes on a killing rampage at the meat packing plant.  The fossil turned out to be an egg and it needs Patrick to help it feed.

The small Aboriginal town of Ft. Mic is caught in the middle of a potential mad cow-like disease and strangers who have gathered on the outskirts to worship the newly resurrected dragon that is their god.  Now, cut off from the rest of civilization by a government who intends to contain the “disease”, it’s up to Kim and the First Nations tribes to combat and ancient enemy.

The idea of THE SAND DRAGON is a good one.  However, I was disappointed in the execution of the story.  I felt there needed more character development, especially pertaining to the First Nations people and their connection to the dragon.  The story itself was a bit confusing and manic at times.  Stewart introduces vampires, but doesn’t completely make the connection between them and the dragon.  There’s plenty of carnage and violence, especially at the hands of a religious fanatic, whom I thoroughly enjoyed.  I was never really able to make a connection with Kim, the main character and I felt she was a bit cliché and shallow. The end was a bit on the predictable side and anticlimactic, although there is a sweet little twist, but is tempered with some confusion as to what happens to one of the characters.  At best I’ll say THE SAND DRAGON was average.

-Colleen Wanglund

RULE 34 by Charles Stross (2011 Ace Books / 258 pp / hc)

In this loose sequel to his 2007 novel HALTING STATE, someone (or something) is murdering (in unusual fashions) spammers across the Internet in 2035 Scotland.  Inspector Liz Kavanaugh--as head of the Rule 34 squad--must track the source of these murders down, and Stross brings the suspects flying at you from every angle.

In case you don't know what "Rule 34" means,  it's a "generally accepted internet rule that states pornography or sexually related material exists for any conceivable subject."  And while Stross manages to pull some really funny ideas out of this (the first victim is killed by an ancient enema machine!), there was still room for him to go a bit further...but considering this is a mainstream scifi novel, perhaps he kept things right on the dividing line?  And considering victims are offed by various household appliances, the author surprisingly pushes his tale at a (mostly) serious pace.  (I still can't get the image of one victim shrink-wrapped to his mattress out of my head).

While some may have a problem with the Internet lingo and Scottish slang (not to mention the second-person "real-time" viewpoint), Stross makes it work; and like William Gibson's classic NEUROMANCER, there isn't much time wasted explaining the technology that's in place: the reader is required to accept it and move on (something I have NO problem doing, and something that made Stross' HALTING STATE tedious at times).  Stross' near-future world features the Internet in continual personal access, and the brain-implanted mobile phones aren't so far fetched.

As a scifi police prodecural, RULE 34 moves along at a nice pace, bringing people from all walks of life together from several unusual subplots (my favorite being Anwar, a Muslim who does whatever he has to do to support his family, even when he becomes involved in international intrigue).

While I wish Stross would have given more time to the building relationship between Inspector Liz and Dorothy (perhaps we'll see that in a 3rd novel?), the perpetrator of the appliance murders took me by surprise and the novel as a whole left me satisfied.

(My only gripe: Every mention of Americans was extremely negative (but thankfully brief).  I don't know if Stross is trying to tick off his American fans or not, but if this keeps up it'll be hard for me to buy another title from him, which would SUCK being he's one of my favorite authors.)

Otherwise, RULE 34 makes up nicely for Stross' less-than-stellar third Laundry novel released last summer, THE FULLER MEMORANDUM.  Check it out.

Smell Rating: 4

NOTE: We are not taking submissions for review until November 1, 2011.  Scroll down to the bottom of  this page for more details...

JULY, 2011 Reviews

JULY 2011 REVIEWS

(NOTE: The "smell ratings" at the end of some reviews rate the actual SMELL of the book and have nothing to do with the story.  Smell Ratings: 5 = excellent, 1 = odorless, 2-4 = you figure it out.  Book Key: hc = hardcover / tp = trade paperback / mmp - mass market paperback / rarer forms described.  Unless otherwise noted, all reviews are by Nick Cato).

DIAPHANOUS by Roy C. Booth and R. Thomas Riley (2011 MinnKota Publications / 57 pp / eBook)

What seems like a missing persons tale quickly develops into an old-school creature feature in this nifty collaboration.  I always have a hard time reviewing these short tales without giving too much away, but suffice it to say the sense of impending doom the authors create between the worried characters creates a tension that'll have you buzzing through this in no time.

It's no easy task to pull off a monster story without a little bit of camp creeping in, but Booth and Riley have done it...and if the suspense doesn't get your goosebumps going, the wicked critters on display here surely will.  DIAPHANOUS is a fine way for any monster fan to KILL an hour or so.

CROOKED HILLS: BOOK 1 by Cullen Bunn (To be Released October, 2011 by Earwig Press / limited edition hc, tp, and eBook)

Charlie Ward and his little brother Alex recently lost their father to a hit-and-run driver.  Their mother decides to go visit her sister Mary for the summer in a little town called Crooked Hills, which turns out to be the most haunted town in America.  Although not thrilled about moving away from his friends for the summer, Charlie is intrigued by the town’s history and legends, and decides to unravel the mysteries with his cousin Marty and their friend Lisa.

What starts out as some lighthearted fun turns into a dangerous adventure for the three, especially when they discover Alex is in true peril and must be saved before something terrible happens to him.  Is Maddie Someday, the legendary witch, actually haunting Crooked Hills with her ghostly dog? Or is it just a tall tale written about in the local history books?

This is just Book One in what promises to be a great series - it’s action-packed and a lot of fun and by the end you’ll find yourself wishing Book Two was already written.

CROOKED HILLS is recommended for age nine and up, but this is not just a children’s book.  I enjoyed it very much. The book reminded me of the old GOOSEBUMPS series, but CROOKED HILLS has more bite. I expected it to have a Scooby-Doo-type ending in which the bad guy would be unmasked by the kids; however, CROOKED HILLS is a lot creepier than I thought it would be.  This is no cartoony book; there are lots of thrills and chills both young and old will enjoy.  If you want your child to start loving horror as much as you do, this is the book to give them.

-Sheri White

LET IT BLEED by S.L. Schmitz (2011 Dead Tree Comics / 348 pp / tp and eBook)

Basically a goth-re-telling of the Gospel, S.L. Schmitz's LET IT BLEED takes place in the early 80s in middle America, in the middle of an already established post-punk/industrial music scene (there's references to countless bands in the early chapters).

A young, drug-addicted punk known as "The Dead Girl" is pregnant with the Messiah while her boyfriend ("The Razorblade Boy") sings for a a punk band (and doesn't exactly treat her like the new Mother of God).  Described as having a voice that's "producing a tune so bereft of romance, erotic to the point of suicide," Razorblade Boy quickly becomes the most interesting character here, although everyone in Schmitz's dark, moody novel managed to come alive in their own unique ways (and while there's many, Schmitz wisely keeps the tale focused on a chosen few).

LET IT BLEED's strength is in its poetic prose; there's certain sentences (and even entire sections) that I re-read not only to get what the author was trying to say, but to enjoy the beauty of the wording.  Whether describing the scene in a crowded night club, demons contemplating their eternal struggle with Christ, or The Dead Girl's love for her abusive boyfriend, Schmitz makes it all read like a poem spawned from the collective auras of Peter Murphy's lyrics and the short stories of Samuel R. Delany (in particular, Delany's "Aye, And Gomorrah" from his classic collection, DRIFTGLASS).

With endless scenarios that are simultaneously beautiful and horrific, and a heartbreaking conclusion that left me wanting more, LET IT BLEED is a sure-fire hit for anyone into music or religion-based dark fiction (just make sure to take the time to read this slowly...there's much going on and Schmitz gives much food for thought).

SENSATION by Nick Mamatas (2011 PM Press / 208 pp / tp and eBook)

From Cthulhu cults to suburban nuclear bomb creators, you never know what you're gonna get when you crack open a new novel from Nick Mamatas...SENSATION is no exception.  And despite a few head-scratching moments, this was a hard one to put down.

It seems a centuries-old war between a rare species of Costa Rican wasps and an intelligent breed of spiders has spilled over into human society.  While the spiders are able to latently control people and change the course of human history, the wasps' victims are usually chaotic and cause worry among the arachnids.  In SENSATION, the wasps sting an average New Yorker named Julia who quickly begins to change into a radical anarchist after leaving her hubby during one intense sex scene (and I don't mean that in the pornographic sense).  The spiders keep dibs on Julia's movements by living inside the heads of "men of indeterminate ethnicity."  (I should state here that the first 50 pages or so feature some truly funny scenarios and dialogue...something I didn't expect from Mamatas).  When Julia begins to influence other like-minded radicals, the spiders begin to worry the wasps may be planning something big, as Julia's husband Ray watches her actions on the news, wondering what on earth is going on.

SENSATION is told from the spider's view points (and--I THINK at times--from the wasp's), and while it was a bit confusing to follow at times, Mamatas makes it work.  The underlying question here (do humans have free will or is something else controlling them?) is quite frightening, and considering this novel suggest insects are, makes this whole thing downright creepy (and I say this in a positive way).  This is another original, well-written--if uneven--tale from Mamatas that can be consumed in a sitting or two.  Now where did I put that can of Raid?...

DEADLINE by Mira Grant (2011 Orbit / Hachette Book Group / 624 pp / mmp)

Last year’s FEED, the first of Mira Grant’s “Newsflesh” series, succeeded in doing what many zombie books have tried but met with limited success to do – put a whole new spin on the familiar shambling genre. DEADLINE, its sequel, continues building upon that excellence. If it disappoints at all, it is with the agonizing but ultimately excusable reason that many second-in-a-trilogy stories have: a cliffhanger ending to leave readers clamoring for the next one. 

These aren’t so much horror novels as they are techno-medical thrillers, set in a grim near-future after two engineered viruses get out, combine, and trigger a pandemic outbreak that plunges the globe into zombie apocalypse. The virus, a dormant potential in humans and all other large mammals, could amplify without warning and turn the carrier into a savage killing machine. Anyone. Anywhere. At any time. 

Almost thirty years have gone by, meaning that a new generation has grown up in the aftermath. Security precautions and weapons are their whole world. The isolation of the internet has become safer and far preferable to gathering in groups. The blogosphere is where to find the truth, and it is the chosen domain of the After The End Times news team. 

Shaun Mason, the team’s leader, exists in his own brand of living hell following the death of his foster sister and only lifelong friend and companion … a death that came at his own hands in the merciful spirit of killing your infected loved ones before they go zombie and bite your face off. As the loved ones would want, of course, and would have done the same for you if situations were reversed. 

Shaun survived, but his life lost most of its meaning. Until, that is, a renegade researcher from the CDC turns up at his door claiming to have uncovered an even more monstrous conspiracy than the one that claimed his sister. Soon, Shaun and his team are on the job again, on the road again, on the run again from powerful enemies who want to silence them before they can get the word out. 

There are zombies, but the zombies aren’t the focus. They’re a hazard, an obstacle. The real star of the show is the culture Grant has woven, drawing upon our existing modern lore in the form of countless other books and movies, extrapolating society and behavior that would form in the wake of a rising. How things would change … attitudes, relationships, economies, everything. 

This series is a wonderfully plausible and convincing thought experiment, fleshed out (so to speak) with great characters and fast-paced action. It hits every nerve regarding our deepest fears of contagion. And somehow, at the same time, it’s cleverly written and funny as hell. 

Another year until the third one? It WILL be worth the wait … but oh do I not want to wait!

-Christine Morgan

THAT’S NOT YOUR MOMMY ANYMORE by Matt Mogk (2011 Ulysses Press / 32 pp / tp)

It’s a small, strange, zombie-infested world … the first I knew of Matt Mogk and the Zombie Research Society was while the husband and kid and I were sharing our weekly family togetherness time and viewing of the television show Wipeout. 

Mr. Mogk was one of the contestants. In his intro, he mentioned the ZRS, and before he’d gone halfway through the obstacle course, my kid had already found it online and was wheedling our permission to join. Another member in good standing? Dr. Kim Paffenroth, a friend and occasional editor of mine, who honors me by allowing me to beta-read some of his stuff. 

Naturally, we allowed the kid to sign up for the ZRS. Some months later, on a browsing-online whim, I saw and ordered this cute little book without even making the connection. When it arrived, the kid was the one to notice the ZRS emblem on the cover and recognize the author’s name. 

All weirdly fitting, somehow. So, I sat down with my kid, cuddled up on the couch, and read it aloud to her. Just like I used to when she was little, though she is now almost seventeen and could probably kick my butt at just about anything. 

THAT’S NOT YOUR MOMMY ANYMORE: A ZOMBIE TALE is written and illustrated in cheerful children’s-book style, with colorful cartoon artwork and rhyming text. It’s a perfect poke at those books aimed at helping your child cope with some difficult development or adjustment … divorce, moving, remarriage, a new baby, a death in the family … what to do when you suspect your mother has joined the ranks of the living dead … 

It is cute, charming, hilarious, a great addition to anyone’s zombie library, and probably not the best gift for a kindergartener unless he or she is already pretty warped and has understanding parents. 

-Christine Morgan

BIGFOOT WAR 2: DEAD IN THE WOODS by Eric S. Brown (2011 Coscom Entertainment / 154pgs / tp)

Within hours of the Babble Creek massacre (BIGFOOT WAR), the Sasquatches are on the move.   They are on the hunt for more humans, rampaging across the Southeastern United States.  A handful of survivors along with the military are attempting to make their way to safety when another horror surfaces—the dead are rising!  It seems the creatures are carriers of some kind of virus.  The military cannot defeat the giant hairy creatures or the hungry hordes of the dead.  Colonel Drake and his ragtag unit of tanks and infantry are desperately trying to contain a virus that threatens the human race while at the same time trying to stay alive long enough to get out of the quarantine zone.

  

Continuing right where BIGFOOT WAR left off, Eric S. Brown has upped the ante with DEAD IN THE WOODS.  It’s no longer just tribes of giant Bigfoot—or is it Bigfeet?-- that’s out to get the humans.  Brown, already a master of the zombie sub-genre, has seamlessly blended Sasquatch and zombies to give a one-two punch that no one can duck or weave.  And the twist towards the end is something I never saw coming.  The action begins almost immediately and doesn’t let up until the book is finished.  BIGFOOT WAR 2 is fast-paced, action packed and in my opinion, bleak as all Hell—and I loved every minute of it!  Do not miss this book!

-Colleen Wanglund

THE DOPPELGANGER SONG by Caitlin Sumer and Bill Shears (2011 InfinityBound / ebook)

Dr. Holly Ambrose, psychiatrist, and her partner Frank Zhelikhovsky, an Iraqi war vet and security expert, have been asked to consult on a case involving a young teacher who may or may not have tried to commit suicide.  Emma Ward went out the fourth floor window of the Gracewynne School, a private girls’ school in the Bronx.  Emma insists she didn’t jump and there are stories among the students of a Shadow Emma, a mysterious mirror-like image of Emma.

The definition of doppelganger is a ghostly double or counterpart of a living person.  After speaking with Emma and some of the students it seems as though Emma does indeed have a doppelganger.  Holly however is very skeptical.  As Holly and Frank’s investigation progresses there seem to be more questions than answers.  Who is Ms. Grande, the woman who runs the school and does she know about the supposed doppelganger?  What happened to Emma’s boyfriend Scott the day he died while rock climbing?  Is Emma crazy?  Is Shadow Emma really a doppelganger?

THE DOPPELGANGER SONG is a smartly written book.  I like the paranormal aspects of the story as well as the questions about Frank and Holly’s personal relationship.  The pacing is quick and consistent while keeping the reader guessing as to the final outcome until the very end.  The character development is excellent giving the reader ample background without getting bogged down in too much or unnecessary detail.  I genuinely liked Holly, Frank and Emma and no one is without their flaws.  In other words, they are all very human and realistic.  I also enjoyed the intelligent and witty dialogue, especially between Frank and Holly.  I think THE DOPPELGANGER SONG would make a great addition to your library if paranormal is your thing.

FULL DISCLOSURE-my daughter Darlene Wanglund did the cover art and I think it’s great.

-Colleen Wanglund

NIGHTJACK by Tom Piccirilli (2010 Crossroad Press / 241 pp / eBook)

While Piccirilli has been pumping out the crime noir thrillers lately, this one blends bizarre elements not seen since his novel NOVEMBER MOURNS.

Pace is released from a mental institution only to be abducted by three of his former ward mates, who managed to escape the hospital right after something horrible happened to the daughter of wealthy industrialist Alexandra Kaltzas.  All four of Piccirilli's characters suffer from Multiple Personality Disorder, and it's up to Pace to try and discover which one (presumably) raped Cassandra Kaltzas--and being there's so many personalities here, the suspect list is nearly endless (the mystery of just who Cassandra was/is helps drive the tale at a break-neck--ummm--pace).

But Pace has a dark history of his own: after watching his wife burn to death in a mob-orchestrated restaurant arson, an inner demon known as Nightjack had come out of him and managed to slaughter all those responsible (and the constant wait for Nightjack to re-emerge gives this novel nearly non-stop suspense).

As our foursome face constant danger and hitmen sent by Kaltzas, they eventually find themselves on an isolated Greek island, owned by the revenge-hungry tycoon, in an all-out brain-trip of action, dark fantasy, and endless questions (and while I admit to being confused at times due to so many characters popping out of our group, Piccirilli manages to tie things up at the end...so if you go in don't let the insanity turn you off!).

NIGHTJACK is yet another satisfying yarn, sure to please the author's continually-growing legion of fans (kudos here for some dark and slick humor).

LILITH’S REVENGE AND OTHER STORIES OF FEMME FATALE by S.A. Gambino (2011 Panic Press/ 87 pp/ tp)

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned….and that truth is glaringly evident in LILITH’S REVENGE.  This collection of short stories all revolve around women getting revenge on a man who has wronged them or hurt them in some way.  In some of the stories Lilith aids in the revenge, in others the women manage very nicely on their own. 

 

The book begins with a prologue that reads as a poetic warning to men everywhere.  The first story “Lilith’s Revenge” tells of Lilith waking from a 200 year imprisonment and having her revenge on the town of Elmwood that punished her for being Satan’s succubus.

Among my favorite stories are “Recluse” about a serial rapist/killer who meets his match in Lilith; “The Awakening” about Susan and how as a zombie she is determined to find her husband; and “Monster” about 12-year-old Sharon who is determined to take revenge on her step-father for his sexual abuse over the last five years.  “Monster” is definitely not for the squeamish.

Most of the stories have an eroticism to them, some more overt than others.  S.A. Gambino’s imagination knows no bounds with stories ranging from zombies to werewolves to vampires.  The stories are violent, disturbing and beautifully written.   LILITH’S REVENGE is a quick and entertaining read.  I loved it.

-Colleen Wanglund

June, 2011 Reviews

JUNE 2011 REVIEWS

(NOTE: The "smell ratings" at the end of some reviews rate the actual SMELL of the book and have nothing to do with the story.  Smell Ratings: 5 = excellent, 1 = odorless, 2-4 = you figure it out.  Book Key: hc = hardcover / tp = trade paperback / mmp - mass market paperback / rarer forms described.  Unless otherwise noted, all reviews are by Nick Cato).

TORMENT by Greg Chapman (2011 Damnation Books / 61 pp / tp and ebook)

In 1984, Deacon Douglas Mackinnon performs  an exorcism on his wife; she dies in the process.  Police believe it's a case of cold-blooded murder, and Mackinnon's young daughter, Jessica, is left traumatized.

25 Years later, Jessica travels to Scotland with her husband and son when they learn of her father's passing.  They've been called to assess the Deacon's mansion and decide if they want to sell it.  Of course things quickly go wrong when Jessica decides it'd be a good idea to spend the night at the house; her son is haunted the first night, her and the hubby quickly afterward.

TORMENT features some genuinely scary moments and keeps the reader guessing if it's a possession or a haunted house tale (or a combo of both).  The brief 61 pages could easily have been stretched to novel length, but considering how slick this reads, perhaps it's current size works for the best.

I want more from Chapman.

THE NOBODY by Tom Piccirilli (2010 Crossroads Press & Macabre Ink Digital / 100 pp / ebook)

This is the umpteenth noir tale I've read from Piccirilli, and he always manages to craft broken down protagonists you can't help but cheer on.

This time, a man nick-named Cryer comes home to find his young daughter gutted and his wife in the tub with her throat slashed.  To make matters worse, he almost grabs the killer as he's fleeing out a window, only to have a 3-inch blade slammed into his forehead, almost killing him and wiping out his memory in the process.

Much of THE NOBODY features Cryer regaining his memory in various institutions as he searches for who he was before the stabbing, while simultaneously searching for the person who killed his family.  Suspects abound and at times the tension gets as high as I've ever read in a Piccirilli tale.  You probably won't guess who the killer is until the page he or she is revealed.

I'm LOVIN' these brutal, pulpy crime dramas from Mr. Pic...

(NOTE: This was released as a limited edition trade paperback and hardcover in 2008 by Tasmaniac Press, both now long sold out)

ZOMBIE BITCHES FROM HELL by Zoot Campbell (2011 Grand Mal Press 2011 / 230 pp / tp)

The world has gone to Hell and the bitches are taking over.  While trying to create an AIDS vaccine, scientists have inadvertently unleashed a new “disease” on the world—one that only affects women and turns them into zombies.  Lock up your daughters, wives and granddaughters because the first chance they get they’ll chow down on the family jewels and anything else they can get their teeth and claws on.

ZOMBIE BITCHES follows Kent, a reporter from Denver and his friend Tim who decide to make their way to Boston so that Kent can find and hopefully save his girlfriend Jen.  Along for the ride in their hot-air balloon is Kent’s trusty mutt MG and the owner of said balloon Rick.  The story is told from Kent’s point of view and relates the trouble they run into—from a convent full of zombie women, a barn with nursing home refugees and an old armory full of white supremacists.

   

The disease is named the GaGa after Lady GaGa collapses on stage and turns into one of the first hungry harpies from Hell while the world watches on television.  As Kent and Tim make their way east the zombie hoards make their way west, but a change is going on.  The packs of screaming banshees are becoming organized.  The undead women are evolving and they are determined to take over.  When Kent finally makes it as far east as land will go he not only finds a sizeable stronghold of male survivors but he also discovers just how evolved and organized these bitches are.

Between the title, the author’s name and the awesome cover art by Michael Lindsey, ZOMBIE BITCHES FROM HELL reminded me of an old pulp novel—in a good way.  While I love my zombies, the whole “apocalyptic zombie” thing can get a bit repetitive….but not with ZOMBIE BITCHES.  Zoot Campbell adds a fresh narrative to the zombie sub-genre.  The story flows nicely and character development is  good.  The end of the novel totally works for me and there are a few nice surprises thrown in, including the question of Kent’s sanity.  Zoot Campbell left me wanting more…..and from what I understand, I’ll get it.  ZOMBIE BITCHES FROM HELL is a great addition to zombie lit and I can’t wait to read more!

-Colleen Wanglund

BLOOD BORN by Matthew Warner (2011 HW Press / 497 pp / tp)

When several girls go missing in the Washington, D.C. area, detective Christina Randall goes on the case; the girls who are found have been the victim of rape...but that's far from the worst part.  It seems each victim of this serial rapist has been impregnated--and are experiencing excelerated pregnancies.  Within one week, each victim gives birth to a primate-looking creature that immediately turns and devours its mother.

Margaret Connolly's daughter is now missing.  Margaret works at the CalPark Fertility Clinic, and has been trying to understand the outbreak of bizarre pregnancies.  She begins to loose her marbles when her daughter is abducted, but she eventually meets up with detective Randall and the two begin to piece things together.

BLOOD BORN features genetically-created bigfoot-like creatures who are on a sole mission to breed.  They rape without remorse, causing a quarantine of the D.C. area.  Among several nightmarish scenes is a highway packed with cars trying to escape the city being attacked by the creatures; the blood and guts fly, yet Warner keeps the chills on target without getting silly.  You'd think a novel with rampaging monsters raping women with over-sized penises would garner some laughs...but BLOOD BORN doesn't.  It's serious horror written at a break-neck pace, and despite a larger than usual roster of characters, the reader is never lost.

While BLOOD BORN is a fun monster mash, I wish Warner would've let us in a but more regarding what caused our Third Reich-worshipping genetics doctor to tick; his creatures were "born" from a mistake in an attempt to create the perfect human...but we learn so little of Dr. Nicolae Schaefer that he truly takes a backseat to the his unholy creations (it's suggested Schaefer may even be of supernatural origin, leaving things wide open for a sequel).  But regardless, Warner's 3rd novel is a serious scare-fest, blending police procedural thrillers with plenty of blood, guts, scares, and some of the horniest monsters to hit our nation's capital since the Clinton administration.  You've been warned...

Smell Rating: 2

BABY’S FIRST BOOK OF SERIOUSLY FUCKED-UP SHIT by Robert Devereaux (2011 Deadite Press / 176 pp / tp)

If you’ve read Robert Devereaux’s almost-pornographic take on Jolly Old Saint Nick, SANTA STEPS OUT, then the title of this collection won’t surprise or offend you.  If you are offended by the title, then why did you pick up the book?

The first story, “Showdown at Stinking Springs,” brings together two well-known lovers of sex - Hefty Jake Gentry and Lily Mae Dalton - for a showdown of the sexual kind.  Kyle Hardwick, an old man, tells the tale of how these two sex fiends finally meet in the town of Stinking Springs in the summer of 1882.  Their showdown destroys the town by fire, the conflagration sparked by the heat of their mutual power orgasms.  As he tells the tale, Kyle delights in the attention of several naked beauties.

“Showdown at Stinking Springs” starts the collection off with quite a bang, and sets the tone for the rest of the stories.  The tale originally appeared in Hustler Fantasies, which should indicate just how intensely sexual the story is.  

As he did with Santa Claus, Mr. Devereaux takes a childhood favorite and defiles it, albeit in an interesting and fun way.  “Clap If You Believe” is the story of a man who meets his fiance’s parents and sister for the first time.  While the sister, Melissa, is a normal human girl, Tinkerbell was born to human parents although she is a fairy.  Mr. Jones is suspicious of Alex’s motives for wanting to marry his daughter and invites Alex into his den for a talk after dinner.  Alex confesses he’s been intimate with Tinkerbell and cares for her very much. But when Mr. Jones asks Alex if he loves his daughter, Alex gives the wrong answer and loses everything.

What boggles the mind about this story isn’t so much the graphic descriptions of Tinkerbell’s sexual prowess, but that the couple had sex at all.  The story does have some amusing moments, such as the sly mention of Disney World and Donald Duck.  Overall, though, the story is a little melancholy with a sad ending.

“Li’l Miss Ultrasound” is a great take on the distasteful practice of child beauty pageants, knocking the stage-mom stereotype up quite a few notches.  “Bucky Goes to Church” tells the story of Bucky, a man who finally snaps after years of abuse and bullying and shoots up all the people in his church.  Instead of going to hell after being shot by police, he is turned into God by the previous God and finds out being Divine isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Adam and Eve are revisited in the Garden of Eden in “Fructus in Eden,” but this time they keep eating that apple, alternately tempted by and remorseful about the beautiful fruit.  Eventually gluttony and wantonness take over, and they no longer give a rat’s ass about God’s wrath.  God finally gives up and lets Adam and Eve do what they want with Him, resulting in a foursome with the Serpent.  Eve’s orgasm brings about the cries of children not yet born, who fly out of her womb as balls of light and color.  Adam and Eve leave the Garden to find their children, leaving God a shell of Himself.

Interestingly enough, this is one of the least offensive stories in the collection.  The story that follows, “One Flesh: A Cautionary Tale,” follows a father and son who are killed in a car accident the night the son’s child is born.  Their spirits inhabit the baby, and they are very aware of their lust for their respective wives.  They get through childhood OK, but once the hormones hit in the teen years, it’s all they can do not to touch the women they are living with.  They finally snap one day and tied up their wives and “pleasured” the horrified women.  The men then decide to make one woman out of the two, and start cutting various parts.

This is a great story, full of offensive content, including the hint of incest.  But is it really incest if the son’s body and mind are inhabited by his father and grandfather lusting after their respective wives?  This is a fun story, but it can really mess with your head.

The weakest story of the collection, but by no means a bad story is “The Slobbering Tongue That Ate the Frightfully Huge Woman.”  A woman who is raped cuts out her attacker’s tongue, which comes to life and tries to find her.  While in the lab where she was attacked, a pink substance splashes her, causing to grow into a gigantic woman.  She makes her way to the Grand Canyon where she knows she will fit, while the tongue pulses after her, killing people in its wake.

The final story “Holy Fast, Holy Feast” is a neat zombie tale that was a little difficult to follow at first, but once I realized what was going on, I was hooked.  Zombie sex, a zombie baby and a dead guru who has brought the dead the life round out what is a great collection of stories.

BABY’S FIRST BOOK OF SERIOUSLY FUCKED-UP SHIT is the perfect title for this collection.  Every one of these stories fucks with your mind.  I hope Robert Devereaux keeps writing short stories; this collection left me wanting a lot more.

-Sheri White

BLEED by Ed Kurtz (2011 / 390 pp / tp)

Walt's a young man with a promising future: he has just purchased a fix-er-up house out in the sticks, yet close enough to his new job as a high school English teacher.  He's also planning on proposing to his girlfriend Amanda.  He notices a spot on the ceiling one day, and after not being able to get rid of it, the spot begins to grow.  At first it becomes a bigger stain, then eventually, it turns into a pulsating lump.  And as it grows, Amanda notices Walt starting to act strange.  She ends up leaving when she witnesses the ceiling lump eat a cockroach one night; Walt refuses to leave the house or the strange thing that is rapidly taking control of him.

If David Cronenberg and Frank Hennenlotter decided to remake LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS and HELLRAISER, BLEED would be the result.  It reads like an 80s-styled horror novel with the gruesome feel of a classic splatter film--but where most gore-film inspired novels falter, BLEED finds its strength.  The reader cares for Walt, despite him becoming a murdering slave to the blood-thirsty creature, while at the same time we're cheering for Amanda as she attempts to escape the clutches of her now crazed boyfriend and his ever-growing monster.

For a first novel (self published, no less), Kurtz has done a fantastic job, seldom seen even among the best of professionally-released horror novels (i.e. there's NO filler here).  While there's a couple of typos and POV issues, the story is well told, the suspense and gore work side by side, and the touches of Henenlotter-like dark humor work like a charm.  It was also great to see a couple of characters introduced more than halfway through the novel actually work and add to the satisfying conclusion.

I had an absolute blast reading BLEED, and you can tell the author had a blast writing it.  I'm keeping my eye on Ed Kurtz, and hope to see another winner like this from him again soon.

Smell Rating: 2

ENTOMBED by Brian Keene (2011 Camelot Books / 204 pp / limited edition hc)

I don't splurge for limited editions too often, but when I heard Keene had written a sequel to DEAD SEA, I just had to have it.  While this takes place in the same "world" as DEAD SEA, I really wouldn't consider ENTOMBED a "sequel;" there's no zombie whales or people adrift at sea.  However, it takes a turn I never saw coming and made me happy despite the slight disappointment this wasn't the type of sequel I had in mind.

Told from the point of view of Peter (who gave guided tours of a former fallout bunker located beneath a posh hotel before all hell broke loose), this is one of those zombie tales where the undead take a back seat to the living: there's limited zombie action, but Keene's claustrophobic tale of a man bent on survival against those he thought were on his side is quite grim and difficult to put down.

When they realize starvation is nigh, the 17 trapped survivors in (said) bunker agree cannibalism will be the only way to survive.  They vote for Peter to be the first one to be killed; but a friend lets the cat out of the bag and Peter finds time to hide before the hungering humans could take him in his sleep.  As Peter kills for self defense (and survival), someone refers to him as a "serial killer," causing Peter's mind to shoot in dozens of directions.  IS he really doing this to survive, or is he also enjoying the power killing seems to brings him?

ENTOMBED is a violent, satisfying tale of survival in the face of the apocalypse, although those looking for an all-out zombie story might be a bit disappointed.

There's a bonus second story here titled WHITE FIRE, where a tornado knocks over a van and unleashes a virus that's basically a suped-up meningitis.  While killer virus stories are nothing new, Keene injects a fine supernatural element that adds a bit of mystery to the whole thing, and there's a few nods to other Keene shorts that'll have fans grinning in end-time glee.

Glenn Chadbourne provides some great interior artwork, while Gak's cover captures the main tale to the tee.  Camelot Books did a fine job with the production here, as did the author who once again proves he's hard to beat when it comes to end of the world horrors.

Smell Rating: 5

BRAIN CHEESE BUFFET / BULLET THROUGH YOUR FACE by Edward Lee (2010 Deadite Press / both TP)

Ahhh, the surefire Edward Lee diet plan … appetite-killing emetics in written form!

Eeeeeeeeew. These books. So gross. So nasty. So cringeworthy and disgusting, you about want to wash your hands merely after turning the pages. 

My unsuspecting husband ordered these two for me as an anniversary gift, because they were on my wish list. Okay, well, with titles like that and given the way he’s heard me rave about Lee’s work before, maybe “unsuspecting” is the wrong word there. Poor guy. 

For instance, the other night we were watching a rerun of SOUTH PARK, the episode where the boys react to being assigned THE CATCHER IN THE RYE  by writing the foulest, filthiest book they can imagine. A book that makes anyone reading it immediately puke their guts, yet also be unable to put it down. 

And I scoffed and said Ed Lee could blow them out of the water without even breaking a sweat. Hubby and teenager didn’t believe me. I found them some excerpts to read that didn’t involve sex (honestly, what kind of a wife and mother do you take me for? tsk!) and watched their reactions (on second thought … maybe you’re right to think that …)

The results didn’t involve my family throwing up, but they did look at me funny after that. “This is the sort of stuff you like to read?” their nervous eyes seemed to say. “This is a writer you respect, admire, and damn near idolize?”

Well, yes. Yes, it is. Yes, I do. Okay, so maybe that makes me a weirdo sickpuppy. But I do. I love the whole vile squicky yucky visceral gore in all its vivid, VIVID detail. More than that, I admire the underlying structure, the skill behind it all. 

Such a juxtaposition! Here is an author obviously brilliant, erudite, skilled, personable and cheerful … writing about characters so unutterably loathsome and vile … utilizing dialect thicker than the congealed biological sludge he describes all too well … involving acts more heinous than anybody should ever have to contemplate … there’s enough bodily fluids in these two slim trade paperbacks to keep a hazmat team busy for a year … wow. Just bleeping wow. 

BRAIN CHEESE BUFFET contains nine gooshy tales, two of which were familiar to me from previous anthologies (“Mr. Torso” and “Grub Girl,” though the version of the latter in this book appears to be the expanded director’s cut). Many of the stories are interconnected within the same depraved universe of imagination, with recurring characters and locales. “The Dritphilist” hit me particularly close to home, being set in Seattle and involving psychiatry, though that is one specialty I think I’ll pass on ever getting involved with thanks! The other stories range from the alien to the supernatural, with some mad science thrown in that manages to make even THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE look kind of tame, and atrocities that’d make the SAW franchise people twitch. 

BULLET THROUGH YOUR FACE is similar, except in the form of three novellas that revolve around the central premise that, basically, men are slime. Objectifying, deceitful, rotten sexist slime. And women are no better. “Ever Nat” involves a guy who finds out the hard way that taking advantage of a pretty young thing can have disastrous consequences. “The Salt-Diviner” shows the folly of being willing to go too far for the sake of greed. The final story, well, when the title of it is “The Refrigerator Full Of Sperm,” you may as well rest assured it is what it says on the tin. I didn’t care for that last one so much, mostly because one of the characters didn’t get what I thought he deserved. 

If there’s one problem with these books, it’s in terms of final layout and proofreading. I spotted way too many typos and other teensy errors, which interfered with my overall enjoyment. I’ve noticed similar flaws in the other Deadite Press books I’ve read, and it really is too bad. They’ve got awesome authors and great stories, eye-catching covers. An extra once-over before going to print would do so much good!

-Christine Morgan

WITCHES OF EAST END by Melissa de la Cruz (to be released June 21, 2011 by Hyperion Books / 288 pp / tp)

Joanna Beauchamp, and her daughters, Ingrid and Freya, are witches living in modern-day America in the town of North Hampton, located by the ocean.  Forbidden to use their magic centuries before, the women chafe at having to behave like regular people, and begin to slip.  Joanna has the power to bring back the dead and heal the very sick, Ingrid can read auras and cast spells that bring people their most heartfelt desires, and Freya creates potions that help the lovelorn.

After using their magic a few times and realizing they are helping, not hurting the townspeople, the women begin to use their powers more often.  But then awful things begin to happen - two of their neighbors are attacked, and a young girl disappears after drinking one of Freya’s cocktails.  These incidents bring unwanted attention to the women, and now they must find out what evil is stalking them and their town.

Witches of East End is a fun book, a romantic comedy with the added bonuses of magic and mayhem.  The characters are well-developed and interesting; you root for them when their magic works wonders for those in need.  There are several romances at play; the main one is Freya and her fiance Bran Gardiner.  But then she meets Bran’s brother Killian and realizes they share a dangerous attraction to one another.  Will she choose Killian over Bran?

There are also mysteries throughout the novel - who attacked the Beauchamps’ neighbors? Why are dead birds suddenly appearing on the beach in front of their house?  And is the women’s magic really helping the people they care about or causing more trouble instead?

WITCHES OF EAST END is the first in a series.  If the rest of the series is as good as the first, then I can’t wait to read them.

-Sherri White

THE BLACK CAT AND THE GHOUL by Edgar Allan Poe & Keith Gouveia (2011 Coscom Entertainment / 114 pgs / tp)

When I was asked to review THE BLACK CAT AND THE GHOUL, a mash-up by Edgar Allan Poe and Keith Gouveia, I was a little leery.  I’ve never really been interested in mash-ups so I had never read one before.  How do you really improve on the original?  Especially when we’re talking Poe’s “The Black Cat”?  That being said, I was pleasantly surprised with Keith Gouveia’s treatment of the story.  Gouveia makes it clear in his intro that he’s a huge fan of Poe and his writing shows his respect for the author as well.

Gouveia begins his story by keeping Poe’s “The Black Cat” completely intact, beginning to end.  What Gouveia does is continue the story from the perspective of the man, John, as he sits in a cell waiting for his execution for the murder of his wife.  The night before he is visited by Pluto, the Roman god of the underworld and a bargain is struck.  John will continue to walk the earth delivering souls to Pluto in hell.  The deal turns out to be not quite what John thought and he is guided by the very same cat that he blames for his current predicament.

Included in the novella is the poem “Cemetery” an original work by Keith Gouveia, as well as its inspiration, Poe’s “The City in the Sea”.  The book also contains Poe’s “The Telltale Heart” and an original short story by Gouveia entitled “Broken” about what happens to a man after he loses his wife in a tragic accident.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE BLACK CAT AND THE GHOUL.  Edgar Allan Poe’s stories and poems are very dark and depressing in their mood and tone and Keith Gouveia manages to capture those same dark qualities perfectly and quite seamlessly.  And he does so without altering the original character of John or his self-absorbed nature.  The original works “Cemetery” and “Broken” are wonderful homages to a brilliant artist and Gouveia’s respect and admiration are apparent.  This is a definite get, even if you’ve been iffy about the mash-ups.

-Colleen Wanglund

BLOOD OF MY WORLD TRILOGY by A.P. Fuchs (2011 Coscom Entertainment / tp and ebook)

I’m not the biggest fan of paranormal romance, especially with the release of books such as THE VAMPIRE DIARIES and the TWILIGHT series (which I do not consider horror).  However I was intrigued by a YA novella trilogy by A.P. Fuchs who is perhaps best known for writing about zombies.

 

BLOOD OF MY WORLD consists of three novellas—DISCOVERY OF DEATH, MEMORIES OF DEATH, and LIFE OF DEATH—that tell the story of high school sweethearts Zach and Rose.  Zach has unexpectedly disappeared, leaving Rose in a state of confusion and worry.  Zach has become a vampire and has no memory of his former life, including Rose.  One fateful night Zach is taken out to feed by his vampire mother Mira and kills Rose’s mother.  Experiencing his victim’s memories, Zach is confused by the people he sees and what his connection to them may be.  In the meantime, in the wake of her mother’s death, Rose discovers that she comes from a long line of vampire slayers.

While dealing with the funeral and her training Rose sees Zach and knows what he has become.  Rose’s father Marcus also knows what Zach has become and instructs his daughter to stay away from the cemetery.  Marcus explains that vampires have no feelings or emotions for anyone in their former lives, which is what makes them such effective killers.  Zach tries to understand what is happening to him and what Rose meant to him.  Zach’s vampire family seems ready to accept Rose, even though she’s a human.  Ultimately Zach will be forced to choose between his vampire family and Rose, and truths will come out that help Zach determine where his loyalties lie.

Fuchs has written a very good story in BLOOD OF MY WORLD.  The characters are well-developed and his vampires’ characteristics are quite interesting.  I enjoyed the Shakespeare-esque story of the young lovers from different and clashing worlds—vampire and slayer.  What I also liked about this trilogy is that it doesn’t have the creepiness that most other vampire romances targeting young girls have.  Zach is only a vampire for a few weeks when he and Rose meet again, he’s not a hundred-plus year old vampire “in love” with a teen girl.  In other words, Zach isn’t a dirty old man, he’s still just a kid.  The horror elements are really good, too.  The vampires have ulterior motives that ultimately drive the story—they aren’t an afterthought.  The romance aspect is a bit intense at times, so if paranormal romance isn’t your thing, then this is not the trilogy for you.  Overall BLOOD OF MY WORLD is a really good read for its target audience.

-Colleen Wanglund

THE GREEN MAN by Lee Mather (2010 Damnation Books / 26 pgs tb)

In this short novella we are told about an experience had by Pete, which he is writing in a journal eight years after the event that he says changed his life.  Pete grew up with his mother’s stories about a mysterious Green Man who would appear to her whenever someone close to her was going to die.  She was convinced it was her great-grandfather but Pete didn’t believe her stories, at one point thinking his mother crazy.

Pete receives a phone call from his mother the night before he was scheduled to fly that the Green Man had appeared to her again.  She warned Pete not to get on the plane, but this only angered Pete.  Pete boarded the plane with his friend Seb, but his mother’s possible premonition had him spooked.  Ultimately the plane does crash, proving his mother right.  What Pete discovers, though is that the Green man’s appearance was not necessarily a warning of his own impending accident.

THE GREEN MAN is not just a creepy supernatural story, but it is a story of faith….in something, anything.  The writing is well done and Lee Mather manages to get across how life-changing an event Pete lived through.  At just 26 pages, THE GREEN MAN is a quick but powerful read.

-Colleen Wanglund