MAY, 2013 Reviews

MAY, 2013 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)

TONES OF HOME by Thomas A. Erb (2013 Crowded Quarantine Publications / 174 pp / tp)

Maurice and Ashley are a mixed-race couple who recently got engaged.  They are on their way to meet Ashley's family and make the big announcement.  Maurice is apprehensive, to say the least.  Ashley's family are rednecks living an a small Upstate New York town with a reputation for being racist.

The couple arrive at the Torchlight Inn in the middle of a snowstorm, but that hasn't stopped Ashley's family—of the town's entire population—from packing the joint.  The crowd is raucous and rowdy; there has been plenty of drinking going on and someone is itching for a fight.  Tension is high and Maurice is ready to bolt when Ashley's dad arrives and welcomes Maurice into the family.  Relief settles over Maurice and the party atmosphere has everyone feeling pretty good.

That is, until a foursome wearing Beatles masks and loaded with weapons descends upon the unsuspecting patrons of the Torchlight Inn.  And the bloodbath begins.

When I started reading TONES OF HOME, I thought I knew what direction the story was probably going to take, but boy was I wrong.  Erb throws an astonishing curve ball, creating one of the most bizarre revenge stories I've ever read.  Character development is great, as well as to the point and I found myself rooting for the rednecks and Maurice.  There's a feeling of claustrophobia throughout the story that I found quite uncomfortable.  It's not just that the entire story takes place in a crowded bar...the raging snowstorm makes the confinement far worse.  Where do you go when you are effectively snowed in?  The motive of the Fearsome Four had me both shocked and laughing at the same time, and the leader of this group called to mind Alex of A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.  If murder and mayhem with a twist is your thing, then I highly recommend TONES OF HOME.  I can honestly say it's one of the best books I've read this year, so far.

-Colleen Wanglund

HELLHOLE: AWAKENING by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (2013 Tor Books / 527 pp / hc)

Exiled General Tiber Adolphus is now unofficially in charge of protecting the 54 planets of the Deep Zone, a stretch of universe where rebels and undesirables are sent by the corrupt government of the 20 Crown Jewel worlds. Sent away by the brutal Diadem Michella in the first book, Adolphus has allied with a strange alien race who are currently coming "back to life" through volunteer human hosts on the planet Hallholme (a.k.a. Hellhole).

Michella's spies have caught wind of Adolphus' growing power. She sends a hundred warships to stop him, only to once again have underestimated the General. When her massive fleet goes missing, Michella brings a famed war hero out of retirement to get her out of this mess.

Meanwhile, Adolphus' alien allies, the Xayans, are becoming more powerful with each passing day and with each new human convert. Their psychic powers manage to cause major damage to Michella's homeworld of Sonjeera, turning the corrupt queen into an even more bloodthirsty tyrant.

This second book in Herbert and Anderson's epic scifi saga is full of ingenious battle tactics, endless political and social intrigue, and focuses on space survival in the face of war with little-to-no supplies.

Everything ends on a wicked cliffhanger, and the threat of a new enemy should provide much material for book three. Like most series of this size, there are many characters, but the authors keep things tight and we're never lost despite so much going on.

HELLHOLE: AWAKENING is a long but satisfying installment in this powerful series. Get yer scifi geek on!

Smell Rating: 4

SHATNERQUEST by Jeff Burk (2013 Eraserhead Press / 188 pp / tp & eBook)

Of all the ways the world could end … all the cheesy disaster movies I’ve watched, all the end-of-days books I’ve ever read … Judgment Day, Ragnarok … asteroid impact, solar flares … plague … 

The fandom apocalypse. Wow. I mean, holy crap, wow. This went above and beyond the weirdest of the weird in an awesomely terrible, terribly awesome way. 

So there’s these geeks at a con, awash in the humid miasma of third-day gamer-funk. The particular geeks-of-interest are Trek geeks, three in Starfleet uniforms (four, if you count the cat that rides around in Benny’s satchel), and their rival, the big slobby jerk of a Klingon. 

Moments before the gripping finish of the Magic: The Gathering tournament, explosions rock the convention. Flaming boulders rain from the sky. A swirling dimensional vortex appears. Giant monsters go on rampages of destruction. Basically, everything hits the fan and all hell breaks loose. 

Each of our geeks have their own backstories woven into the narrative, even Squishy the cat (that one made me cry!). Benny’s slow decline from successful game designer, Gary’s struggles with addiction and recovery and relapse, Janice’s efforts to balance fan-life and normal-life … even Korloth, the wanna-be Klingon. 

With nothing to go home to and nothing to stick around for, our three good geeks and their cat strike out on their own into the chaotic landscape. Foraging for vital supplies – chips, candy, soda, junk food – at gas stations and convenience stores along the way, they head west with the intention of finding and saving someone. Not just any someone. The one, the only, the great William Shatner. 

Because, see, he’s been speaking to Gary, serving as a sort of spirit guide. Now he needs help, and Gary’s determined to deliver. Even if it means battling through zombie Borg, Kirk cultists, tribble invasions, an army of Klingon bikers, and more. Much, much, even-weirder, more. 

Of course, it doesn’t help that by the time they get to California, they find a William Shatner who’s been doused in radioactive waste and grown to gigantic size, stomping through the ruins of Los Angeles. It’s not looking good for geekdom. 

All in all, a wild and hilarious read, a sharp and contemporary parody perfect for making all us geeks howl in hurts-so-true mirth and despair.

-Christine Morgan

PREVIEW:

INTO THE SHADOWS by Greg F. Gifune (to be released May 7, 2013 by Samhain Publishing / 255 pp / tp)

INTO THE SHADOWS contains two novellas by Greg F. Gifune; A VIEW FROM THE LAKE and CATCHING HELL.

A VIEW FROM THE LAKE--James and Katherine live a happy and quiet life in Blissful Point, Massachusetts where they own a quaint lakeside resort, until one summer morning a young boy’s body is found floating in the lake. James is devastated, and within a few months of that tragic accident, he slowly loses his sanity and then disappears. 

A year later, Katherine has decided to sell the resort and start over somewhere new.  Strange dreams and the realization that she didn’t really know her husband have begun to weigh on her.  Katherine’s friend Carlo wants to help her find the answers she is looking for, so he goes to find James’ foster mother.  Carlo discovers a past that James kept hidden from his wife that came back to haunt him—and drive him mad—when the boy drowned at the resort.  Carlo tries to get back to Katherine during a blizzard, while she makes her way down the same path as James did over a year before.

Greg F. Gifune has written a beautifully dark story about the fine line between sanity and insanity.  With just a handful of well-developed characters, and frightening ghosts of the past, this nicely paced novel delves into the fragility of the mind and the isolation that comes with the loss of one’s grip on reality.  Gifune highlights this isolation by setting A VIEW FROM THE LAKE at an empty resort during the height of a blizzard.  Katherine and Carlo experience their own isolation, both figuratively and literally—Katherine at the empty resort and Carlo attempting to navigate the empty, snow-covered roads.  Carlo is also attempting to keep himself sober long enough to save Katherine from James and his past. 

CATCHING HELL—In 1983 Billy, Stephan and Alex are aspiring actors.  It is the end of the summer theater season in Cape Cod and the three friends have decided to spend their last weekend together in Maine at a summer resort owned by Alex’s family.  They bring Tory, one of the theater’s stagehands along with them.  On the drive up to the resort the friends discuss their various future plans—Billy and Stephan going to New York and Alex attending a prestigious college acting program.  

At one point along the winding road through a heavily wooded area the group runs into a fierce rainstorm and must pull over and wait it out.  A bird hits the car’s windshield hard enough to kill it, but the body has disappeared.  Billy is unsettled by the experience, talking about his grandmother’s belief in that very same scenario being a harbinger of death.  

Slightly freaked out, the four take a turnoff into Boxer Hills, a rural town in the middle of the woods.  

The town itself seems stuck in 1947 and after a weird run-in with some locals, the four decide it’s time to leave.  The problem is that the road they travelled into the town on is no longer there.  The four learn they must fight to survive the night and get out of town or else become the victims of depravity, violence and evil.

CATCHING HELL is another story where there are just a handful of well-developed characters being thrown into a situation of desolation and isolation.  Boxer Hills is a town that clearly will not be found on any maps in the middle of nowhere.  It is a frightening story that reads like a horror film and plays out like a game of Mousetrap. The four young protagonists are very sympathetic and relatable, and their terror is palpable.

The novellas were originally published separately by Bad Moon Books and Cemetery Dance, respectively, and if you have not had the pleasure of reading either story before, do yourself a favor and pick up this re-release from Samhain Publishing.  It is a must read for fans of the dark and macabre.

-Colleen Wanglund

ASH STREET by Lee Thomas (2012 Sinister Grinn Press / 282 pp / tp & eBook)

A few years ago, Selma Baxter and Derek Thomason used the basement of a house on Ash Street in Barnard, Texas as a chamber of torture and death for their innocent victims. They killed just for the hell of it, and in doing so managed to unleash an entity comprised of both of their extreme wickedness.

Today, detective Stuart Lancaster (whose wife was one of Baxter and Thomason's victims) is still on the case. And things get strange when family members of the victims start being visited by the ghosts of the deceased ... and some of them are murdered--but not by the ghosts.

Melanie, the star of a paranormal cable show called The Haunt Club catches wind of the sightings in Barnard, and decides to give up a lucrative assignment in England to investigate on her own. She's on a mission to get to the bottom of things before her money-hungry bosses exploit the story, and other members of her team eventually meet up with her.

While it took a while for ASH STREET to kick into gear, once Stuart, Melanie, and Mike (a young man whose little sister Dory was also a victim) meet and begin to investigate, Thomas brings on the goods and begins to tie things together. There's a genuine shock in the final chapters, and the mysterious entity known as "Andy" is like a more complex version of the demon from Thomas' debut novel, STAINED.

Thomas takes a different look at ghosts and adds serial killers to twist the two genres into something fresh. Fun stuff.

(This review originally appeared at THE CROW'S CAW)

COLD VENGEANCE / TWO GRAVES by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child (2011/2012 Grand Central Publishing / 368 pp / 480 pp / all formats)

Time for another Special Agent Pendergast double-feature! With these, the second and third books in what are referred to as ‘the Helen trilogy,’ some loose ends get tied up and others come all unraveled. 

The thrillers by Preston and Child have taken many odd turns over the years. Murders, monsters, mysteries, action, adventure, intrigue and horror … a cast of compelling characters and cleverly interwoven relationships … and the most enigmatic of all remains their pale, brilliant, troubled FBI agent with the honeyed New Orleans drawl.

Hey, Harry Dresden and Cumberbatch’s Sherlock have fangirls, don’t give me that look! *swoon*

In FEVER DREAM, which precedes these two, Pendergast discovered twelve years after the fact that his wife Helen’s death wasn’t the accident it had seemed. His efforts to get to the truth only brought more and more questions, not only about that fatal incident but the woman herself, and their entire relationship. It also drew the wrong kind of attention. 

In COLD VENGEANCE, Helen’s brother Judson is determined to get rid of Pendergast once and for all, before the agent’s snooping can do more damage. A seemingly-innocent us-guys hunting trip to the rugged moors of Scotland ends badly, with Pendergast shot and presumed dead. 

As time goes by and even his most faithful friends hear nothing, they’re forced to begin to accept the inevitable. But this is not, of course, the first time Pendergast has been presumed dead. He’s a hard man to kill. Especially when he has something to strive for … in this case, his brother-in-law’s final taunting words that Helen isn’t dead after all. 

Fortunately, through a series of lapses and distractions, I didn’t get around to reading COLD VENGEANCE until after I already had TWO GRAVES. Otherwise, I would have been screaming, foaming at the mouth over bastardly cliffhangers. Instead, I was able to go right from one to the other. 

Two books of Pendergast trying to find out what’s really going on with Helen, is she alive or dead, who IS she, what’s her secret, what’s she been keeping from him, and why? His nature of intense concentration and focus narrow to their finest point yet, into obsession. 

And if it gets a little off-the-deep-end crazy extreme with Nazis and psychic powers and stuff? If the thing about Constance getting committed to an asylum for tossing her baby overboard is left tantalizingly semi-resolved?

Oh, who cares … it’s Pendergast!

-Christine Morgan

PETER COOPER AND THE PIRATE KING by James DeAcutis (2012 CreateSpace / 350 pp / tp & eBook)

Thirteen-year-old Peter Cooper has been raised by his aunt and uncle since the death of his parents when he was very young.  He has grown up in an orphanage run by that aunt and uncle that is actually a stable and loving home for all of the children who live and have ever lived there.  

One night on the way home from a day in the downtown district of Harmon, Peter meets a strange man in the park who gives him a moonbeam catcher.  Peter thinks nothing of it, but later that night the family’s home is set on fire and blaming himself, Peter runs away.  He stows away on the Pollywogg but is soon discovered by some of the crewmembers who’ve known Peter for years as he has spent much time at Harmon’s docks, helping out and earning money where he could.  The captain of the Pollywogg alerts the authorities back in Harmon, but before Peter can be returned to his family he is kidnapped and brought to the Pestilence whose captain is Bill Kyuper, the Pirate King.  He is the very same man from the park that night.  In order to continue his immortal existence, the Pirate King needs Peter’s body/life essence.  Peter is a resourceful boy and will do what he can to survive and get back to his family in Harmon.

PETER COOPER AND THE PIRATE KING is a well-written Young Adult novel that will appeal to all ages.  It is a fun and frightening story involving immortality with a catch, the dead and almost dead, and friends who will do whatever they can to save a young boy in danger.  Character development is excellent—I liked Peter a lot.  The prose is tight and flows nicely, although I did have an issue with the orphanage’s history going on a bit too long.  Overall PETER COOPER is an enjoyable read and I recommend it to fans of horror and fantasy—and pirates.

-Colleen Wanglund

AFTER DEATH edited by Eric J. Guignard (2013 Dark Moon Books / 332 pp / tp & eBook)

It’s time for another shameless review of an anthology in which I’m honored and fortunate to have one of my own stories appear … sharing a table of contents with many great authors, including one of my personal must-read faves, Bentley Little. 

All that and each story has an illustration by the awesome Audra Phillips. The one to accompany mine is an utterly kick-butt Valkyrie, wearing actual armor that actually, y’know, covers vital areas – I mentioned this on a panel at RadCon and discovered that you can disrupt an entire room with the phrase “battle panties,” btw. 

So, biased though I am, this is a fantastic book! With a theme inviting speculation on what happens after we die, thirty-four authors stepped up with thirty-four wonderful and diverse visions. When nobody can know for sure, anything becomes possible. 

Heavens, hells, hauntings and more are to be found herein. Some are spooky, some are sad, some are spiritual, some are scientific. A few are full of fun and wonder. A variety of mythologies, traditions and beliefs are represented. 

Narrowing it down to a shorter list of my personal favorites of the lot – not counting my own, though I do believe “A Feast of Meat and Mead” is one of the best I’ve written so far! – is a challenge. 

But, of all the ones that resonated with me, for emotional impact, writing skill, cleverness, coolness, just-plain-wow-factor, or any combination thereof, here are the biggies:

“Be Quiet at the Back” by William Meikle

Joe McKinney’s “Acclimation Package”

Kelda Crich’s “Circling the Stones at Fulcrum’s Low”

“Boy, 7” by Alvaro Rodriguez

“Someone to Remember” by Andrew S. Williams

Simon Clark’s “Hammerhead”

David Steffen’s “I Will Remain”

“Afterword” by Ray Culey

“Final Testament of a Weapons Engineer” by Emily C. Skaftun

I’m going to make myself stop there, before I wind up listing them all. Suffice to say, these are a knockout bunch of stories. 

In addition, editor Eric Guignard graces each with a brief introduction that sets the tone and/or shares some insight on what went into the making of this book. The final product is a gorgeous book from cover to cover, a top-notch job throughout.

-Christine Morgan

PREY by Tim Marquitz (2012 Genius Book Publishing 171 pp / tp & eBook)

A young homeless boy is found in the middle of a gruesome murder scene by Detective Shane Calvin and his partner and taken into custody as the perpetrator.  Five mutilated bodies—and a few extra parts—are among the carnage in the abandoned house.  In the course of his investigation, Detective Calvin discovers more houses, owned by the same person, all with hidden torture chambers.  Somehow, this connects back to the town's mayor and one of his childhood friends.  Now, the mayor's son is missing and Calvin will do whatever it takes to save the boy.  Unfortunately, it's only the tip of a horrifying iceberg.

PREY is a very dark and disturbing novella that is well-written and fast-paced.  Shane Calvin is a determined man, good at what he does, and concerned for the safety of the mayor's son.  The homeless boy, Aiden, at first seems like a monster, but as the story unfolds, he becomes very sympathetic.  The real monster is hiding in plain sight.  PREY is very entertaining and held my interest with some interesting and cringe-inducing twists.  It is not for the faint of heart.

Included with PREY is the bonus novella ANATHEMA, about a man Jerrod, who loses everything to another man and is determined to exact revenge.  Unfortunately for Jerrod, things go horribly wrong and he is left to deal with the sickening consequences of his actions.  Another macabre tale that will leave you squirming.

-Colleen Wanglund

THE KILLINGS by J.F. Gonzalez and Wrath James White (2013 Sinister Grin Press / 174 pp / tp & eBook)

I went into this one already wincing, flinching, and cringing in anticipation of having the shredded bits of my soul drawn out through my eyeballs. I based this on, reasonably enough I think, prior experience; BOTH of these authors have reliably demonstrated off-the-charts squick level capabilities. Together? Eek. 

Fortunately for my shreddable soul and eyeballs, THE KILLINGS proved to be … I hesitate to use the word ‘milder’ when it features graphic gore, twisted urges and horrific mutilations … but, in a sense, okay, ‘milder’ will have to do. In a sense. One sense. 

In the other sense, the harsh beam of a stark and vicious spotlight cast upon many of the uglier aspects of humanity (hate, racism, privilege, misogyny) did kind of send my soul shrinking way to the back of wherever it dwells. 

After all, this book was inspired by actual historical events, and actual historical events tend to showcase how much we can suck as a species. Even without the nudge of curses, monsters or outside evils, we’re plenty capable of atrocities. 

Journalist Carmen Mendoza is following up on some intriguing interviews with a convicted child-killer. She soon finds herself investigating not just one set of heinous crimes but a chain of them, similar-yet-different murder sprees stretching back a hundred years. In the course of her poking around, she not only gets her hands on an old journal, she has the misfortune to catch the eye of the latest in this series of killers. 

The century-apart plotlines interweave so cleverly that the story and suspense are maintained at relentless high-tension throughout. It demands to be a one-sitting read even as it really makes you want to step away for a moment to steady your nerves, so you can’t step away. 

All in all, THE KILLINGS is an exceedingly well-written, riveting, and a deeply, DEEPLY disturbing and uncomfortable read.

-Christine Morgan

See ya'll in one month!

APRIL, 2013 Reviews

APRIL, 2013 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)

THE AFTER-LIFE STORY OF PORK KNUCKLES MALONE (2013 Bizarro Pulp Press / 93 pp / eBook & tp)

Daryl is a young man with a very special pet pig. He lives on a Wisconsin farm with his father Albert, and all's well until Albert decides his son is too close with a mere swine: he murders the poor pig with a chainsaw, breaking his son's heart in the process.

But now the pig (nick-named Pork Knuckles) is back, albeit in the form of a glazed ham. Daryl decides he can't take his dad's abuse anymore, so he places Pork Knuckles in his back pack and hits the road on his bicycle. It doesn't take long for things to go completely off-the-wall from there in MP Johnson's hysterical, demented road-trip tale that takes a look at the strength of friendship through a bizarro lense.

Daryl and his pet pig (ham) are soon confronted by a strange trucker, steroid-enhanced drag queens, are taken in by his aunt and uncle who are very twisted old school punks, and one chapter (told from the point of view of a fly named Zzz) had me laughing out loud. There are surprises on nearly every page, and the pace is completely frantic.

But what makes PORK KNUCKLES MALONE so different (besides it's obvious weirdness) is what becomes of the main characters: Daryl goes through a most unusual metamorphosis while his father and Pork Knuckles become something way out there... culminating in a several-chapter conclusion that combines a wacky look at creationism and a punk rock show to end all punk rock shows.

Having read most of Johnson's catalog, I can say this is easily his best work to date.

PREVIEW:

BLACK MAGIC by Russell James (to be released May 7, 2013 by Samhain Publishing / 280 pp / tp & eBook)

The small Florida town of Citrus Glade is in desperate need of some new businesses before it dies a slow death.  Lyle Miller comes to town and opens a magic shop, but he has no intention of adding to the revival of Citrus Glade.  Miller cons four teenage boys into practicing magic tricks, but gets them addicted to the black magic for his own ends.  Now Hurricane Rita has formed directly over South Florida, threatening to wipe the whole area off the map.  Andy, a war veteran, Autumn, a biologist working in the Everglades and a few nursing home residents, including Andy’s mom Dolly are the only ones who can stop Miller’s plans.

While BLACK MAGIC is overall a good story, I was a bit disappointed with this one.  Character development was good, with a few exceptions.  Miller’s background was too vague, as was the goal of his Grand Adventure.  I never really understood what his purpose was.  I liked Andy, who is a flawed man, suffering from guilt and probably PTSD from his tour in Afghanistan and I liked his mom, as well.  I really liked Walking Bear and felt he was fleshed out pretty well, but I thought development of Autumn fell a bit short.  I knew more about Vicente who turned out to be a minor character.  The build-up of the plot was efficient but it had some holes that I wasn’t happy with and the end was a bit innocuous, although Miller’s fate was a bright spot.  It’s an average story that has so much potential but fell somewhat short.

~Colleen Wanglund

ZIPPERED FLESH (Books 1 and 2) edited by Weldon Burge (2012, 2013 Smart Rhino Publications / 284 pp, 324 pp / tp & eBook)

Stating up front that there’s partial bias here, since a friend and I each have stories in the second volume of these squicktastic stories of body modification. I read both anthologies back to back of the span of a couple of days, then needed twice that long to recover from the wincing and flinching. 

Basically, I’m a total wuss. A baby when it comes to needles and sharp things; though I’ve watched people get tattoos and nose-piercings, I have to look away when it’s me getting the fingerstick or blood draw. I knew these books would test me, and they definitely did. 

Two books. Forty-two stories. Authors ranging from seasoned veterans to promising newcomers. Stories from the distant past to the fantastic future, from the visceral and grotesque to the transcendant and exalted. 

And, most of all, so very many endlessly creative ways to alter the flesh! For so many reasons … voluntarily or otherwise … for personal expression or improvement, for art, for religion, for fun, for profit, for science, for savagery … transplants, implants, spare parts, experiments … fetishes and freaks … to elevate us past humanity or revert us to beasts … just about anything you could imagine, and some things you’d wish you couldn’t. 

With so many tales to choose from, I had a hard time narrowing it down to a few faves to mention specifically. They’re ALL creepy; I mean that in a good way. But, after having a stern talk with myself, I 

Charles Colyott’s “Comfort,” in which obesity run amok and one man’s mommy issues make for a feeling that’s anything BUT comfortable. Eew. Just, eew.

“Taut” by Shaun Meeks STILL has me squirming. The hooks, the thought of the hooks, I can’t even … 

“Skin Deep” by Carson Buckingham and “Locks of Loathe” by Jezzy Wolfe are two terrific spins on the perils of vanity, and Graham Masterson’s “Sex Object” has lost none of its impact in the years since its debut in the Hot Blood books. 

Jonathan Templar’s “Babydaddy” absolutely needs to be made into a double feature to be shown with John Skipp’s “Stay At Home Dad” … maybe mandatory viewing for teenage boys, during that time when the girls have to go watch their special wonders-of-womanhood film strips. 

“Marvin’s Angry Angel,” also by Jonathan Templar, knocks it out of the park in terms of where we’re headed when fad and fashion move beyond trendy purse dogs and third world orphans. 

Doug Blakeslee plays with recurring characters by bringing his Uncommon Assassin back for another go-round in “Perfection,” confronted with some possible killing-machine competition.

Editor Weldon Burge also contributes the tragic but amusing “Hearing Mildred,” in which an old man’s hearing aids subject him to wifely nagging from beyond the grave. 

And, really, if I don’t stop myself now I’ll just keep listing until I’ve listed the complete tables of contents … so, take a look at these twisted tales and decide for yourself. May also make a great gift for that rebellious teenager you want to discourage from getting some work done!

-Christine Morgan

FOR THE LOVE OF HORROR by Michael Arruda (2013 NECon Ebooks / 295 pp / eBook)

While I've been a fan of Michael Arruda's movie reviews for many years, this was my first exposure to his fiction. Here are 15 tales (half of them new) that are tied together by the intertwining story of Keith and Erin, lovers who recall how they met and their love for horror stories.

Opening story, 'Little Boys With Frogs' tells of the time Keith an Erin survived an encounter with a giant; 'That Thing Which Can Never Be Satisifed' deals with two roomates, one of their girlfriends, and a really weird sexual experience. 'Black Heart of the Wolf' is a quick but satisfying werewolf yarn, while 'The Horror Curse' takes a look at how all types of horror media feed horror fans as well as certain...creatures (the author brings this theme back in two other tales).

'Good to the Last Drop' is a humorous look at coffee addiction, while 'Kisses' features our couple Keith and Erin dealing with the sinister advances of Keith's friend, Glenn. In 'The Painting,' a grandson and his grandfather deal with some strange occurences around an art collection, then ghosts run wild in 'Friends Forever.' 'On the Rocks' deals with a man wishing his wife death, only to have it come true in a most slithery way.

Next up is 'Reconciliation,' easily the best story of the lot, about a 62 year-old priest who hears a confession from a ... vampire. The entire story takes place within a confessional booth, and the ending is not only timely but gives the piece a real kicker.

"Curse of the Kragonaks' digs deeper into the theme opened up in 'The Horror Curse,' then 'The Monster Who Loved Women' warns men that the woman they may have a thing for might not be who they think she is. Got that?

'The House of Mr. Morbidikus' is one bed and breakfast you'd do well to stay away from, while 'He Came Upon a Midnight Clear' features a ghost who intervenes with a dysfuctional family on Christmas Eve.

The collection concludes with 'For the Love of Horror,' where our loving horror couple, Keith and Erin, face off against Glenn and his mysterious powder one last time.

FOR THE LOVE OF HORROR is a mixed bag: a couple of stories go nowhere, and most of them have the feel of an old EC horror comic ... which is good if you're a horror comic fan (which I am). Some readers may find the constant use of exclamation marks to be a bit too comic-like, while others should get a kick out of Arruda's old-school, Hammer-film-feel of story telling. I like how classic monsters (especially vampires and werewolves) are used, and the added wrap-around story ties the book together quite nicely.

Arruda's collection is a fun--if uneven--read.

SKIN MEDICINE by Tim Curran (2009 Severed Press / 276 pp /  tp)

Tyler Cabe, former Civil War soldier and current bounty hunter has come to the Utah Territory in 1882 to hunt a brutal killer dubbed the Sin City Strangler.  Who he finds is old war enemy Jackson Dirker, the Territory’s sheriff, Mormons who are the subject of persecution and victims of local vigilantes, mysterious creatures called Hide Hunters that hunt humans, and an outlaw who is supposed to be dead.  The Wild West apparently never had it this wild.

My brief synopsis doesn’t do this novel justice.  It is a complex story that involves not just supernatural horror, but the very real psychological damage of PTSD.  Tyler Cabe is a fully fleshed-out character with serious baggage since the end of the Civil War.  He has hung on to a grudge that he ultimately discovers wasn’t worth carrying around all these years later.  Jackson Dirker also witnessed and participated in some real-life horrors during the war, but has dealt with it differently—in a more constructive way.  Weaved seamlessly into the lives of these two veterans is a serial killer reminiscent of Jack the Ripper and Cabe won’t stop until he catches his killer.  

Whisper Lake, the central town in SKIN MEDICINE is a sprawling mining town on the verge of chaos—between the Sin City Strangler and some of the residents mistrust and misunderstanding of the Mormons who live nearby.  Jackson Dirker has so far been able to keep things in check, but the vigilantes led by Caleb Callister are planning something big.  There is also the not-so-little matter of the werewolf-like creatures that have come to the Territory.  Curran manages to keep the story flowing at a nice pace without getting bogged down in too many details.  There is much going on but at no time did I lose interest or get confused about what was happening.  This is another great book from Tim Curran that any horror fan should read.

~Colleen Wanglund

MUERTE CON CARNE by Shane McKenzie (2013 Deadite Press / 194 pp / tp)

Just when I’d recovered from ALL YOU CAN EAT enough to brave the Chinese lunch buffet again, Shane McKenzie returns, this time to make sure I don’t stop by any taco trucks for the forseeable future. 

Lucha Libre to the ultimate extreme, plus illegal immigration issues, equals violence even before you get to the whole messy business of the butchering and the cannibalism and the other nasty surprises in store.  

Marta is a fiesty, stubborn young woman determined to uncover and expose what really goes on at the border, decides to put herself on the line in the most real way possible. Her plan is to pretend to be sneaking across, get caught, and record the results via concealed miniature camera. 

Felix, her boyfriend, thinks it’s a bad idea but resolves to help out anyway, if only in hopes of patching up their relationship. Or sort-of relationship … or sort-of boyfriend … between the two of them, they’re a bundle of mood swings, temper, hot sex, commitment issues, and general dysfunction. 

The prospect of them on a long drive together, into a stressful and dangerous situation, is a disaster waiting to happen even without any help from murderous, sadistic kidnappers. There’s definitely no shortage of atrocities in store!

From a purely artistic standpoint, some of the descriptive phrasing in here is of such gloriously depraved beauty that I found myself having to stop several times to marvel aloud. In, of course, the sort of way that devotees of this kind of thing can’t really share with those around them without risking getting those uneasy looks. 

This book might also cost me a friend whose signature MMO character was a mighty luchador. I can’t NOT get him a copy, it’s like a sign. Will just have to see if he’ll still speak to me later …

-Christine Morgan

PREVIEW:

RED MOON by Benjamin Percy (to be released May 7, 2013 by Grand Central Publishing / 530 pp / hc and eBook)

Patrick is the only survivor of a werewolf attack aboard an airplane. He's known in the media as the Miracle Boy and the students at his new high school don't know if he survived by luck or because he may be a wolf himself. In Percy's epic RED MOON, werewolves have been living among us all along, and the book reads like an alternative history tale with the wolves sitting in for (add the religion/minority/gender of your choice).

We also see things through the eyes of Claire, who is on the run when the government invades her house and kills her Lycan parents. She finds her aunt Miriam, and has a safe house until a wolf-led terrorist plot changes the entire course of the United States.

After high school, Patrick joins the army and heads to an American-occupied wolf country, searching for his father. But after he finds him, he comes back to America to help deal with the after-effects of a devastating attack on a nuclear plant that has left America's west coast in chaos. The Lycan race is now using this for an uprising, and a gang of skinheads known as The Americans are waging their own war against the shape-shifting creatures.

RED MOON is a fine take on the werewolf mythos (even our new president is one of them) that suffers only from over-writing. A better edit could easily have taken 150 pages off this one, but regardless, Percy has created a real page turner that I'm hoping isn't a stand alone novel (there are several unanswered questions at the end). I'm not a big werewolf fan, but this one kept me reeled in despite it's minor flaws.

Smell Rating: 3

THE COLOR OF BONE by Carol Weekes (2012 Genius Publishing / 287 pp / tp)

THE COLOR OF BONE is a nice-sized collection of twenty-six disturbing short stories by Carol Weekes. 

Some of my favorites include “Clowning Around,” a disquieting story about a young woman on a date with a carney who isn’t as he appears; “Black Limousine,” about Death’s visit to a small town; the super creepy “Smoke and leaves” about what happens to a man and his family while visiting an October carnival; “Two Hours, Two People, and a Box,” an entertaining story about two opposites stuck in an elevator; “An Eve of Fine Crystals” about a distraught man who wants to be with his dead wife; and “Cured,” about a woman given a cure for her cancer—and retribution for past abuse.

Other fantastic stories include “A Song of War” about how children learning to play music can defeat War; “The House that James Built,” a sad story about a disabled boy that just wanted a friend; “Maybelline,” about three boys who meet a lonely girl in an old, abandoned boxcar; and “Wary Be the Traveler,” a nod to Lovecraft about a couple who claim they can see other realms.  This one in particular spooked me because it involved ventriloquist dummies and I fear those more than clowns.

Carol Weekes has an amazing collection of stories in THE COLOR OF BONE.  All are thoroughly creepy in their own way.  From “Standing Water,” about strange eel-like creatures, to “Weather System,” about a literally deadly storm, every story held my attention.  I can honestly say there isn’t a bad story to be had here.  There are a few that aren’t as good as most, but they were still entertaining.  A dark and gruesome addition to any horror fan’s library.

~Colleen Wanglund

ODD PLACES by Guy Anthony DeMarco (2013 Yurei Press / 194 pp / tp)

Very short stories and flash fiction fascinate me in the same way that many athletic pursuits do … I admire the skill, envy and appreciate the grace and economy of movement, and know that if I tried anything like that I’d probably hurt myself. 

ODD PLACES is a collection that’s like watching a sports highlights clip reel. You don’t have to sit through the whole game, complete with commentary, instant replays and slo-mo, to get the exciting action. 

There’s more than thirty stories in this book – and it’s a slim book, too! Some of them take up no more than a single page, but pack a serious punch in that single page. Books like these are great ones to carry around for those occasions when you have some spare minutes waiting and need a quick read to help pass the time. 

It opens with the nicely creepy “A Case of Curiosities” and goes many (aptly enough) odd places from there, from the haunting to the hilarious and beyond. Little bit of everything, at least something for everyone. 

Some of my favorites include “Dead Meat” (zombie cows!), “Home” (one of the abovementioned pack-a-punches), “Death Grip” (liked this one best of all!) and “To-Do List” (ouch, knife-twister).

-Christine Morgan

FALSE MAGIC KINGDOM / BAD ALCHEMY / THE GOG AND MAGOG BUSINESS / YOUR CITIES, YOUR TOMBS by Jordan Krall (2012/13 Copeland Valley / 87 pp / 86 pp / 47 pp / 227 pp / limited edition chapbooks & trade paperback)

This epic 4-book saga had me skeptical at first: the first three installments come in three separate chapbooks, and while they held my interest, I wasn't sure where they were headed or what the point was. It's wonderfully weird and featured some amazing ideas and visuals, but I didn't know if the author would tie everything up in a way that would make these early sections valid.

Then I read the final installment, the novel-length YOUR CITIES, YOUR TOMBS, and was completely blown away.

This tale is told from mutliple viewpoints but isn't distracting. Each one reveals a little bit more about what's going on during a city-wide terrorist attack. Through three slightly off-balanced doctors, a married couple with a failing sex life and mental illness, to a woman searching for the truth about her father's suicide, Krall takes us on a surreal nightmare fueled by an ever-present and growing paranoid phobia that leads to a horrifying finale that may be a bit too real for some readers. The author's influences are evident, but the series as a whole takes on its own feel.

This intense study of fear and conspiracies uses shadow and suggestion and allows the reader to savor and discern every bit of information and ultimately feel deeply for its cast (especially one reluctant terrorist) as the tale comes into light; a shaded light, but a light nonetheless.

As far as bizarre fiction goes, Krall's "False Magic Kingdom" series is a true masterpiece and easily his finest work to date.

Smell Rating: First three books: 2  /  YOUR CITIES, YOUR TOMBS: 3

BIGFOOT CRANK STOMP by Erik Williams (2013 Deadite Press / 156 pp / tp)

This book is what might happen if you took all the scenes they couldn’t show on television from a bunch of Discovery, History, Learning, and other no-longer-aptly-named channels’ subgenre of “extreme redneckin’” programming and made a SyFy movie. 

Whether that’s a good thing or not depends on your personal perspective. And, as for my personal perspective, I found it unabashed trashy fun that knows full well how tacky and over the top it is. 

First, you’ve got your back-country meth trade, complete with guns, addicts, dealers, corrupt law enforcement, the works. Then you’ve got your random hapless others … the troubled veteran gone hermit, the amateur porn makers, the campers. And then you’ve got Bigfoot. 

But wait! Bigfoot’s hooked on meth! And when he doesn’t get it, he goes on a total crazypants craving-fueled murderous rampage!

Really, with that, I don’t know what more needs be said or can be said. If this is your thing, you’ll enjoy the heck out of it. If not, you should know better by now than to be picking up anything from Deadite … unless you like making people ask, “what the (bleep) are you reading?!?”

-Christine Morgan

MILTON'S CHILDREN by Jason V. Brock (2013 Bad Moon Books / 85 pp / tp)

In Brock's quick novella, a group of scientists returning from the Antartica decide to make a stop at some uncharted islands. One of them features strange creatures and plant life no man has seen before. The explorers break up into two groups, and one goes missing. The other group waits for their colleagues on the beach, and also for a helicopter pick up the next morning. But when the helicopter crew come, they finds the beachfront campiste a bloody mess, and discover tapes and notes recorded by the lost scientists of what they have discovered. And eventually they themselves learn these strange creatures have an uncanny ability to communicate...

While MILTON'S CHILDREN is a decent monster romp, the first chapter commits a cardinal sin (that'd be preaching to the point of irritation, this time about vegetarianism, which I'm still not sure had anything to do with the plot). If you can get by this flaw, Brock brings the creature feature goodness in a nice, well written, compact size.

Smell Rating: 1

PREVIEW:

FUSE by Julianna Baggott (to be released in the US April, 2013 by Headline Press / Grand Central Publishing / 480 pp / hc and eBook)

It’s been said that the YA dystopian genre is getting played out, and maybe in most cases that’s true … but the bizarre-mutations aftermath setting of this series, which began with PURE, is more than captivating enough to sustain interest. 

Basically, there was this nuclear-type apocalypse, called the Detonations. The survivors not killed outright were ‘fused’ with whatever or whoever they happened to be in contact with at the time, leading to a devastated landscape filled with people who’ve been melded together in hideous living patchwork with inanimate objects, animals, or other people. 

The select few who were sheltered in the Dome escaped all that, and had been living their own happy climate-controlled human terrarium life since the blasts. But, in the first book, Partridge, the son of the Dome’s leader, winds up outside. He joins forces with some of the ‘wretches’ and they set out to discover the truths behind the lies … including that of the death of Partridge’s mother and brother, and the existence of his half-sister. 

Now his father and the Dome-folk want him back, and take a carrot-and-stick approach – the stick involves swarms of boobytrapped robots that latch on like ticks, and the carrot involves the promise of a new serum that will ‘cleanse’ the wretches of their deformities. All they have to do to is hand over Partridge. 

FUSE does suffer a bit from the usual second-in-a-trilogy-it is, as the plot spins out, the rebellion gets organized, the conspiracies thicken, the political structure within the Dome begins to crumble, and of course the relationship troubles and love triangles between various characters hit crisis points. And, as is almost a required part of the formula by now, it ends on a frustrating “augh no not yet!” cliffhanger note.

The best bits of these books, in my opinion (and there are no bad bits, either), continue to be the inventive and creative ways the setting is presented, the fusings and the societies that evolve around them … as fascinating as they are creepy … disfigurement and mutation … body horror at its most chronic.

-Christine Morgan

Until Next Month . . .

MARCH, 2013 Reviews

MARCH, 2013 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)

ROCK 'N' ROLL by L.L. Soares (2013 Gallows Press / 250 pp / tp)

Lash is a good looking guy who every woman wants ... but not just because he's handsome. He has a strange talent that enables those around him to experience super-enhanced sexual pleasure without him laying a finger on them. He makes a lot of money from his share of wealthy clients, and his ex-wife Lizzie is still obsessed with him, constantly sneaking into his house and begging for just one more roll in the hay ... because when Lash gets down on the floor and rolls around, he enters a trance-like state that has the aforementioned affect on people. Lizzie is the only one he has touched during this trance, and he's determined not to make that mistake again.

Lash is now trying to live a normal life with his new live-in girflriend, Miranda. He only gives her a small taste of his abilities, as he doesn't want to get her addicted like his ex-wife. And just when things begin to get on a semi-normal path, Lash goes to visit his best client and discovers him dead. The shock causes Lash to go into an uncontrollable roll-session that leads to his ability having much darker side effects.

ROCK 'N' ROLL is like an off-the-wall late night supernatural erotic thriller as directed by David Cronenberg. Soares blends several genres to deliver an original and quite difficult to put down tale (I read it in two sittings). There's wall-to-wall sex, but unlike a typical exploitation story it's key to the constantly-unfolding plot. This is a real wild ride that's highly recommended to those looking for something truly different.

BROKEN: STORIES OF DAMAGED PSYCHES by Weldon Burge (2-13 Smart Rhino Publications / 72 pp / tp & eBook)

This collection contains five dark and disturbing looks at five different kinds of madness, with tight writing and vivid characters.

“Sizzle” is a fun, nasty little tale about an unpleasant jerk of a doctor, whose even less pleasant new patient wants something cut out of his head before the evil little voices take control of his brain.

“Another Highway Fatality” brings the all-too-familiar paranoia of a woman alone late at night … or is it paranoia when the dangers are all too commonplace and real? … how do you know, and what do you do?

Whether you live in a part of the world that flips out at the first hint of snow, or whether you’re routinely digging out from roof-high drifts, “White Hell, Wisconsin” finds a way to make your winter driving even worse and more chilling.

“Permanent Detention” opens with three simple words that strike sympathetic terror into many, many souls: “I hate needles.” Yeesh. With a beginning like that, moving on to a story about a mean (and possibly monstrous) teacher is almost a relief. Until, of course, the end …

“Blue Eye Burn” is the saddest of the bunch, taking the familiar theme of the memory-haunted veteran and giving it a poignant twist of loss and even nostalgia. I finished it both wishing it had been longer and being glad it wasn’t, an uneasy state that means it was probably just right.

-Christine Morgan

PREVIEW:

THE DARKEST LULLABY by Jonathan Janz (to be released April 4, 2013 by Samhain Publishing / 272 pp / tp & eBook)

Young couple Chris and Ellie has moved more than halfway across the country to move into a house left to Chris by his favorite Aunt Lillith.  The house and the land it sits on have been the subject of rumors for decades since the death of Lillith and her lover Gerald Destragis—rumors involving cult-like activity, child sacrifices, and demon worship.  

Not long after Chris and Ellie arrive, strange things begin happening, including alarming changes in Chris’ behavior.  Ellie believes she is a virtual prisoner of the house and property, but for what purpose?  She has no cell phone service, the car was totaled in an accident, the bridge has washed out, and it seems as though the forest surrounding is physically keeping Ellie from leaving on foot.  Meantime, Chris has met a strange woman in the woods and Ellie was attacked by a man in the basement of their home.  Things get decidedly worse when from out of the blue, Ellie’s estranged sister Kat arrives for a visit and tells Ellie of the frightening meeting between herself and Lillith a few years before her death.  There are also some very disturbing discoveries that Ellie makes about Lillith, Destragis, and Chris.

At first I was a bit disappointed when reading THE DARKEST LULLABY.  I thought it was going to be predictable.  I was so wrong.  This is a well-written novel with many grim twists and turns.  I was three-quarters of the way through the book before I realized what was really going on—and that made me happy.  Character development is excellent.  There were times I liked and then hated both Chris and Ellie at varying times in the story.  They were truly fleshed-out individuals that I never ceased to react to.  Do yourself a favor and pick up this creepy and chilling book.  For a publishing company that started out doing romance titles, Samhain has been putting out some fantastic horror fiction.

-Colleen Wanglund

HELLFIGHTER by David T. Wilbanks (2012 Acid Grave Press / 62 pp / eBook)

When the Conan-like Caddoc falls for a beautiful barmaid, she agrees to be with him IF he can manage to retrieve a rare green gem that's currently in the possession of a powerful wizard. Caddoc agrees (this woman must REALLY be good looking!) and begins his quest with the unlikely help of a slick demon and a strong priest. Along the way they encounter all kinds of strange monsters, fall into other dimensions, and even travel to hell itself.

With a wicked race of creatues known as Drakuli, non-stop bone-crushing violence, and even some humor thrown in, HELLFIGHTER is a fun read that can be consumed in one sitting...just like a good ale. Even if sword & sorcery isn't your thing, give this a try.

WOLF HUNTER by J.L. Benet (2012 Belfire Press / 200 pp / tp & eBook)

No full-moon madness, no contagious bites, no pack dynamics, no brooding-eyed pouty boys ready to rip off their shirts at a moment’s notice, and no tramp-stamp paranormal romance cover? Are you SURE this is a werewolf book?

Actually, it is; it just takes a look at several diverse and less-traditional approaches. From the opening scene when some chosen recruits undergo a Nazi experiment to create lycanthropic super-soldiers, to skinwalker spirit-mysticism and wanna-be Wiccans, there’s many paths the characters in WOLF HUNTER can follow in pursuit of their obsession. And none of them – the characters, that is, not the paths – are necessarily nice.

In fact, they’re pretty much a bunch of despicable, maladjusted losers. The guys are mostly bastards and abusive jerks; the girls are mostly needy and pathetic. Really, when the old Nazi is the most likeable and sympathetic? Eek.

Of course, what this boils down to is that it’s fun to see everybody getting the maulings and maimings they so richly deserve. It’s action-movie without the whole secret-hidden-society angles of the UNDERWORLD movie franchise or the White Wolf gaming line.

Despite some seeming inconsistencies, plot gaps and logic leaps that tripped me up a few times, I found it an entertaining read with good gore, vivid description, a smattering of perversity, and a neat blending of folklore and (mad) SCIENCE!!!

-Christine Morgan

PREVIEW:

BLACK FEATHERS: THE BLACK DAWN VOLUME ONE by Joseph D'Lacey (to be released April, 2013 by Angry Robot Books / 377 pp / mmp & eBook)

This first installment of D'Lacey's Duology is part eco-terror, part dark fantasy, and parts pre and post apocalyptic horror.

The tale takes place in two times; one is the Black Dawn (close to our current time), where we follow the travels of fourteen year-old Gordon as the planet is in ecological collapse and his family have been taken by a growing, sinister new government. The second is in the future (known as the Bright Day), which deals with a young girl named Megan dealing with the aftermath of the Black Dawn. In both times, our young characters are on a quest to discover the meaning of the legendary Crowman, who may be the saviour of the world, or its curse ... or a bit of both.

D'Lacey fills this tale with a memorable cast (I particularly liked Megan's mentor, known only as Mr. Keeper), an aged mystic who leads her on her journey. Likewise, Gordon meets a small resistence group known as the Green Men, and becomes a member, but not all of them are of the same mindset.

Members of the new world goverment (known as The Ward) are deliciously wicked, especially their leader, Skelton, who uses nazi-like techniques to get information from turncoats and keeps his men in line with an iron fist.

The story plays out like a fantastical version of bible prophecy, and while it gets a tad preachy on ecological matters, it's quick, doesn't get annoying, and actually adds to the novel's overall chilling theme. With plenty of material to satisfy fans of multi genres, BLACK FEATHERS is a well-written (if at times familiar) epic tale that'll have you waiting impatiently for the second book.

DIEGESES by D. HARLAN WILSON (2013 Anti-Oedipus Press / 106 pp / eBook)

Wilson's latest is comprised of two novellas, each a bizarre trip through the eyes of a curious gent named Curd.

In 'The Bureau of Me,' a mysterious group attempt to get Curd to join their organization through the author's always mind-warping narrative. We're in some kind of futuristic society where cannibalism may or may not be symbolic and our anti-hero likes to drink profusely to try and figure things out. Curd eventually discovers the Bureau may be run by mothmen and deals with his constant dream-like state with more booze and having sex with his assistant known as Mz Hennington.

Curd returns in 'The Idaho Reality' as a soap opera star who goes by the name Seneca Beaulac. He attempts to deal with the unusual circumstances and technology he finds himself around. Told in short vignettes, this tale is like reading several mini-bizarro stories, one stranger (and more entertaining) than the next. We're constantly told Curd is a "shining example of unbridled assholery" and his assholism increases as the novella unfolds. The world here seems more chaotic than in the first novella, and Wilson dares the reader to even try to attempt to figure out his often sarcastic (and humorous) messages on society, fame, and accepting one's fate.

DIEGESES should delight fans of the author or anyone with a thirst for bizarro with a literary twist. This is a quick read, but one that's better off being read slow; you'll want to go back a few times in several sections just to make sure what you just read meant what you thought it meant. This is as challenging as it is entertaining...and not for a single second dull.

PREVIEW:

THE INFLUENCE by Ramsey Campbell (to be released May 7, 2013 by Samhain Publishing / 248 pp / tp & eBook)

I confess, it’s been far too long since I’ve read any of Ramsey Campbell’s novels, and I somehow missed this one in the first place. As a result, it wasn’t until I sat down to write this review that I realized it was originally published in 1988.

Now, usually, that’s the sort of thing that might give itself away; the technology gap if nothing else. But I had no idea. I’m reading along, thinking how he’d taken what really should have been a played-out theme and given it a fresh new feel.

So, for those of you out there who might be remiss in your reading, like me, the story is that of a secrets- and history-laden family dominated by a mean, spiteful, evil, controlling old lady. Her death comes as more of a relief than they’re willing to admit, but of course Aunt Queenie isn’t the sort to let her hold over them be broken by anything so mundane as DYING. Not when she can exert the power of her forceful personality even from beyond the grave.

Best of all, right about when I was thinking I had a pretty good idea where the story was going to go, it took some surprising turns. I was anxious and spellbound right to the very end. Good stuff, really good stuff. While on the one hand, I’m sorry I missed it all those years ago, on the other I was glad to have the experience now.

Class always tells, quality always holds up, and a stylish spooky story will always withstand the test of time. THE INFLUENCE is as engrossing and affecting a read now as it must have been twenty-some years ago. That’s one way to know when you’re dealing with a true master of the craft.

-Christine Morgan

FROM MURKY DEPTHS by Brett Williams (2012 Gallows Press /  95 pp / tp)

The people of Southeast Missouri are suffering some of the most catastrophic flooding of the Mississippi River they’ve ever seen.  David sent his wife Missy and their two children to her mother’s house in St. Louis while he tries to save the family home.  Deciding to head out to one of the smaller communities to offer help, David comes across the small town of Clayton.  Clayton is built on stilts, as though expecting the floods and its residents are very unfriendly.  He meets Maggie at a local hardware store and helps her bring a large load of supplies back to the home she shares with Roger.  David stays and helps the couple repair their roof and they tell him about the strange cult of Mauz-Gurloth and the human-reptile hybrids that roam Clayton and its surrounding area.  Roger and Maggie allow David to help them attack a ceremony to this “god”, but the raid doesn’t go smoothly.  What exactly did David get himself into and can he survive long enough to get out of Clayton?

This novella by Brett Williams about strange goings-on in the backwoods of Missouri farm country gets down and dirty pretty quickly and moves at a quick pace.  Character development is short and to the point but very well done.  David is a likeable character and a decent guy who just wanted to help some people who may have been worse off than he was after the floods.  It’s his good-guy mentality that gets him deeply involved with Maggie and Roger, even though he cannot initially believe what they tell him about this cult.  Maggie and Roger are good people who do what they can to stop the spread of evil from beyond the borders of their small town.  FROM MURKY DEPTHS is a great read and I recommend it to fans of the weird and monstrous.

-Colleen Wanglund

THE KLINIK by Eric Dimbleby (2012 Damnation Books / 265 pp / tp & eBook)

After injuring his ankle playing football, Ken's pregnant wife Jenny insists he see a doctor. They locate the closest hospital and find themselves at a new place called The Demetrius Klinik, where they're not only treated like garbage, but where Ken almost dies when an x-ray machine malfuctions.

The Klinik then has the audacity to charge them an insane fee, which keeps going up with each day they don't pay it. When the Klinik's bill collector, Dean, stops by their house, he performs a perverse act after threatening Jenny. Ken comes home shortly after and calls the police but they're no help; it seems they've been bought off by this place. With nowhere else to turn, they hire a lawyer to set things straight, but things grow bleaker after he goes missing.

Dimbleby's third novel reminded me of old-school Bentley Little: a couple is up against a seemingly all-powerful evil entity, this time in the guise of a health care facility. Creepy characters abound and there are a couple of truly unsettling scenes. It's a satisfying read despite its familiarity, and whose only problem is a lazy edit (a common complaint with many Damnation Books titles). But don't let that stop you from enjoying the author's gruesome rant against the greediness of America's health care system.

And if you ever find yourself at The Klinik, don't forget to PAY YOUR DAMN BILL!

WALKING WOUNDED by Robert Deveraux (2011 Deadite Press / 208 pp / tp & eBook)

New book arrives at the house. I say, “Ooh goodie, the Robert Deveraux I ordered!” Hubby asks, “Who’s that one again?” And I say, “The Santa guy.” Hubby gets that careful look and goes, “Oh yeah right okay,” and the subject is swiftly changed.

But, yes, it’s true, my gleeful, giddy, ghoulish reactions of delighted outrage and horrified hilarity to those books probably means that Mr. Deveraux will for now and for always be known around our house as “the Santa guy.”

It also means I’ll snap up as many of his other books as I can get my grabby little hands on, Santa or otherwise. So far, I’ve yet to be disappointed, and WALKING WOUNDED continues that streak.

This one is more serious and sobering than the Santa romps, a powerfully effective nerve-punch that hits right where anybody who’s ever pondered the “would I use it for good or evil?” question. (the answer to which is YES, btw)

Katt Galloway has made a lot of life-changes and self-discoveries in the past few months. Among them are the realization that she’s unhappy in her marriage to the philandering Marcus, even as she’s developing her own steamy secret relationship with one of his lovers. But divorce isn’t an option; according to a longstanding line of tradition, the women in her family do NOT “do the D-thing.”

Kate’s also found, in her new side-job doing massage therapy, that she has a very potent gift for healing, for sensing injuries and abnormalities, and affecting them with her touch … to cure them … or accelerate and exacerbate them … to heal or to kill.

Marcus, meanwhile, has a predisposition to Huntington’s Disease. And, well, murder’s not the D-thing, after all.

Just in case that’s not conflict enough, there’s their son to consider, and their lover. Oh, and there’s a serial killer on the loose, who’s just set his sights on the wrong target.

WAKING WOUNDED is dark, disturbing, and maybe a little troubling for anybody given to wondering just what he or she would be capable of if the opportunity arose.

-Christine Morgan

PREVIEW:

SINISTER ENTITY by Hunter Shea (to be released April 2, 2013 by Samhain Publishing / 264 pp / tp & eBook)

Jessica is a nineteen-year-old paranormal investigator whose life was tragically altered by an incident that occurred thirteen years prior while in Alaska with her father.  She has studied the paranormal most of her life and using that knowledge, combined with a power that she doesn’t fully understand, she helps people who have nowhere else to turn.

Eddie is a third generation psychic who can see and speak to ghosts, among other things.  He has spent the last few years being studied at a prestigious paranormal research center but was recently contacted by a ghost seeking his help.  This ghost has steered Eddie to Jessica because she is going to need his help, at some point.

Selena Leigh and her family have seen Selena’s doppelganger on more than one occasion, but are confused and frightened.  Selena can’t sleep in her own bedroom; or sleep, period.  She goes to her two closest friends for help and they find Jessica’s website.
  
After working together on an investigation, and sending the ghost away, Jessica and Eddie make the trip to New Hampshire to try and help Selena and her family.   What they find is far worse than they expected and it’s going to take everything the young ghost hunters have within them to protect the teen and her family.

I’m usually not one for straight-up ghost stories, but I liked the premise of this one.  I found it interesting how Jessica and Eddie meet and how they both are a product of their family ties—one through her father’s obsession and the other through genetics.  All of the characters are well-rounded individuals.  I did have an issue with the fact that Jessica was independently wealthy because her father had won the lottery not long before his death, but it didn’t make me enjoy the story any less (Shea pretty much keeps that in the background).  It’s quite a frightening story when they realize who is haunting Selena and why.  If you like ghost and paranormal stories then SINISTER ENTITY is right up your alley.

A quick note—Hunter Shea’s 2011 book FOREST OF SHADOWS, which is excerpted at the end of the book, is actually the story of what happened to Jessica and her family when they were in Alaska, but SINISTER ENTITY is a great stand-alone read, not necessarily a sequel.  I did not read FOREST OF SHADOWS, but I think I’m going to look for it.

-Colleen Wanglund

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