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

_____

February, 2013 Reviews

FEBRUARY, 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)

GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn (2012 Crown Publishers / 432 pp / hc)

After losing their jobs, Nick and Amy Dunne move from New York City to Nick's small hometown in Missouri to start over. Nick gets a job as a teacher but Amy--who was reluctant to move away from the city--is slowly adjusting to rural life. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Nick comes home to find Amy missing, and the condition of the house suggests she has been abducted.

Flynn's plot sounds typical, but it's far from it. The first half is told from Nick's viewpoint and also through entries from Amy's diary...a diary Nick knows nothing about. Suspects abound, including old friends who were obssessed with Amy and her famous parents (they're the writers of a popular children's book series based on their daughter), and of course the cops begin to eye Nick.

But when the second section of GONE GIRL begins, Flynn pulls the bottom out and sends the story down an incredibly dark path where no one can be trusted or believed, and I was literally flipping through these pages faster than any book I've read in recent memory. This may be a mainstream "thriller," but it's sure to creep you out and make you think twice about who you're really living with.

At first I thought the highly-praised ending was only so-so, but after letting it sink in I've come to like it a lot, and believe it's the only way this one could've ended.

This is a psychological thriller that I hated to see end. Nick and Amy are two characters we both love and hate, and the seamless way Flynn makes us develop sympathy for them is a feat all its own. With cops who are smarter than we think, a sleazy scene-stealing lawyer, raging mistresses, and plenty of curveballs thrown along the way, this is one rare treat not to be missed.

Smell Rating: 4

PREVIEW:

THE LORDS OF SALEM by Rob Zombie and B.K. Evenson (to be released 3/13 by Grand Central Publishing / 324 pp / tp)

In 1692 Salem, Massachusetts, a young woman is murdered and her newborn child sacrificed to Satan by a coven of witches.  Samuel Mather and John Hawthorne are witch hunters and they have proof of witchcraft.  The men have called on Dean and Virgil Magnus to help them root out the coven.  The men arrest Margaret Morgan and the rest of the coven and they are put to death, but not before cursing Salem and the men’s descendants.

In modern-day Salem, Heidi Hawthorne is a recovering drug addict who works as a morning DJ with her friends Herman and Whitey at a local rock station.  A mysterious record album is left for Heidi, which she plays on the sophisticated sound system in her apartment with Whitey present.  The record only plays backwards and only Heidi can hear it; it puts her into a weird trance.

Whitey and Heidi bring it to the radio station the next day to do a “Smash or Trash” segment.  On the same show they interview Francis Matthias, the author of an in-depth book on the history of the Salem witch trials.  Matthias is in the studio when the record is played and sees Heidi’s weird reaction to it.  What’s even stranger, women are calling the station begging the DJs to play the record again.  Something is happening to the women of Salem and Heidi begins to see and experience nightmares.  Matthias has somehow connected the dots….but is it too late to save Heidi?

This is the novelization of Zombie’s movie of the same name starring his wife, Sheri Moon, and I heard her voice the entire time I was reading the book.  Not that that was a bad thing.  The story was pretty good—I love anything relating to witchcraft when done right.  The characters were well developed, for the most part.  I particularly enjoyed Herman and his penchant for dressing like a character from a 1970s blaxsploitation film.  In fact, THE LORDS OF SALEM reads like a 1970s exploitation/occult film, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  There were some aspects of the book that I felt were unnecessary and even gratuitous (especially a “rape “scene involving a priest in a church).  There were also times I felt as though I was being given too much detail.  One other point that bothered me was what happened to Heidi’s dog?  Her dog Steve is ever-present through seventy-five percent of the book and then he just sort of disappears suddenly with no explanation, as though he was forgotten about by the authors.  I have a major soft spot for dogs and I just wanted to know if Steve was okay.  Other than that I liked THE LORDS OF SALEM.  I’ve heard some early reviews of the movie that do not bode well, but if Rob Zombie stuck to the book then the film should be just as good.

~Colleen Wanglund

THE PROVIDENCE RIDER by Robert McCammon (2012 Subterranean Press / 416 pp / hc & eBook)

Language, tone, feel, voice, authenticity and immersion are once again the order of the day in this, the 4th of McCammon’s historical thrillers featuring young “problem-solver” Matthew Corbett. 

This time, the mysterious mastermind Professor Fell makes a direct move instead of operating from the shadows and behind the scenes. His grudge against Matthew for interfering in his previous plans has to take a back seat when the Professor finds that he needs the expertise only a “problem-solver” can provide. 

Matthew’s not inclined to help his enemy, but the Professor’s not the sort to take no for an answer. When a series of threats and violent incidents fail to convince, that leaves kidnapping as the next most reasonable option. Matthew – and, due to an unfortunate turn of luck, his friend the spunky and smitten Berry Grigsby – end up whisked away aboard a sailing ship to the Professor’s classical villain island lair. 

It’s subterfuge and deviousness on all sides from then on out. Matthew is forced to play the role of a notorious criminal to fit in with the Professor’s other guests, with Berry as his hostage to fortune. He’s faced with brutish thugs, dangerous women, battles of wits, and a sinister plot in the best sinister-plot tradition. 

THE PROVIDENCE RIDER  is actually less historical thriller and more almost steampunky pulp adventure, with Matthew becoming even more the action hero (and ladies’ man; this one’s got a sexier edge than I remember from the previous three, not that I’m by any means complaining). The characters are delightful in their larger-than-life and maybe over-the-top way. 

Greatly enjoyable, with a satisfactory enough resolution to not make the reader scream in frustration, but definitely with enough tantalizing threads left hanging so you’ll be eager for the sequel.

-Christine Morgan

DEATH RHYTHM by Joel Arnold (2010 Amazon Digital / 228 pp / eBook)

Andy Byrd has left his girlfriend after a fight, determined to get away from her for a while. But when he hits a deer and cracks up his car, he finds himself in the same town his aunt lives in. He has never met her, but she warmly takes him in while his car is fixed.

But as the days pass, Andy realizes there is a disturbing secret in his family his mother never shared with him. He also wonders why Mae’s next-door neighbors hate his family so much, even as the neighbor’s daughter, Natalie, entices him into a strange relationship.

Confused and scared, especially once Mae reveals what happened in the family’s past, Andy wants to go back to his girlfriend, but can’t break away from Mae’s home. And when Andy’s mother comes, after not talking to her sister for years, their secrets will be exposed and Andy will come to regret ever leaving his own home.

DEATH RHYTHM is a great story, full of mystery and horror. The suspense is razor-sharp and th book is impossible to put down. I wish it had also been published in paperback, because it’s one I’d love to have on my shelf.

-Sheri White

PREVIEW:

THE LATE NIGHT HORROR SHOW by Bryan Smith (to be released 3/13 by Samhain Publishing / 266 pp / tp & eBook)

A bunch of twenty-somethings living in a small town go to a horror film festival at a run-down multiplex. The festival features low budget, independent films of all types, and when they arrive they've already decided which ones they want to start with. One couple goes to a vampire film, one girl goes to see a Chainsaw Massacre rip-off, and most of them go to an apocalyptic zombie movie. When they arrive at the theater, they notice everyone working there looks similar and acts with no sense of humor.

As each film begins, a bright light flashes. Each person then finds themselves living inside the film they had gone to see. Hordes of zombies attack the tough Brix and her friends, while Lashon is chased through the woods by a chainsaw weilding maniac. Meanwhile, Kira and Monroe find themselves captive at the castle of a powerful vampire, and each one of them becomes a member of the living dead. However, one guy, Greg, is left behind in the theater, and he eventually meets with the strange Dr. Ominous, who he learns created the weird situation he and his friends are now in.

Like all Smith novels, this one's packed to the gills with gruesome violence and plenty of excitement, and I like how--when the cast realizes what's happening to them--they use the horror film cliches they're now a part of to expect what's going to happen next (although they're not always right).

When we finally learn who (or what) is fully responsible for exactly what is going on, we hit familiar territory, but thankfully the author throws in a bit more than what many may be suspecting. While this idea has been done several times as of late, Smith blends things and gives it a bit of his own spin.

Arguably the first novel to cite the obscure 80s band 'Shriekback,' and with characters sleazier than those in your typical Richard Laymon novel, this ode to b-movie horror movie-going is a lot of fun. Just don't expect too many surprises.

Smell Rating: 2

CLICKERS VS. ZOMBIES by Brian Keene and J.F. Gonzalez (2012 Deadite Press / 288 pp / tp & eBook)

Sheesh, what did that poor alternate reality ever do to you guys? Unleash the Clickers AND the Siqqusim on an unsuspecting world? At the same time? Harsh!

Okay, sure, it’s “vs.” so they end up fighting each other too, but for the hapless – not to mention soft, juicy, and tasty – humans caught in the middle, that doesn’t help a whole heck of a lot. 

Clickers are undersea monsters who combine the worst features of lobsters, crabs, and scorpions … armor plating, segmented stingers, powerful serrated claws … then ramp it up with corrosive/acidic venom … and they’re amphibious enough to scuttle quite effectively on land. As an extra added feature, this batch, stirred up from some deep oceanic trench by a quake and tsunami, can grow to HUGE sizes. Ginormous-huge. Knocking-over-buildings huge. 

The Siqqusim are the zombies from the universe of THE RISING and its sequels, evil beings that take possession of and inhabit the bodies of the dead as long as the brain’s undamaged. They’re fast, intelligent, have access to their host body’s memories, able to communicate with each other, and led by the entity known as Ob. When they kill, they try to leave the victim intact enough to function, and they are not limited to humans. Far from it. Animals, birds, fish … 

… Clickers … 

Because, really, if an acid-spewing crustacean the size of a motor home, with a stinger like a harpoon and claws that can snip through telephone poles isn’t bad enough, HOW ABOUT AN UNDEAD ONE???

It’s nonstop carnage from the moment the Clickers start swarming toward shore (driving a panicked marine stampede of other sea life before them, in what I thought a particularly neat touch), and the Siqqusim choose a good moment to catch the planet’s paranormal defenders off-guard to break through. 

Since this is an alternate reality and written in a very purposefully so manner, there’s loads of cameos, nods, grins, Easter eggs, and other little treats in store for readers familiar with the authors’ larger bodies of work. 

I do, regrettably, have to cite it for numerous apostrophe violations and a few minor editing infractions, though. They’re the only hitch to an otherwise rollicking and wildly fun read.

-Christine Morgan

FAUSTUS RESURRECTUS by Thomas Morrissey (2012 Night Shade Books / 320 pp / tp & eBook)

Donovan Graham is a morotcycle-riding bartender working in mid-town Manhattan. He's also a recent graduate of occult studies, and is engaged to Joann, who works for the district attorney. Along with a Catholic priest named Father Carroll, he helps the police on a recent string of ususual murders dealing with the signs of the zodiac. Each one is more gruesome than the last, and one involving scorpions leads to a deeper investigation that make both men question their faith.

Donovan is then on the tail of a shady figure who we learn is bent on making a deal with the Devil that even the legendary Faust jumbled...and this figure has even managed to resurrect Faust himself to help him...or so he believes. And as if that weren't enough, even Mephistopheles gets in on the happenings...

Morrissey's debut novel starts a bit slow but by the mid-point is dripping with occult violence and interesting updates on the Faust story. I usually complain that most horror novels tend to end abruptly, but not here: the last hundred or so pages pits Donovan, Father Carroll, and the NYPD against a swarm of possessed homeless people tricked into helping bring about hell-on-earth right in the middle of Central Park's Great Lawn. There's plenty of suspense and the action comes quickly, and there's a nice surprise waiting at the end.

If you're a fan of occult horror some of this may feel a bit familiar, but it's apparent Morrissey had a blast writing this...and I had one reading it.

FLOATERS by James Kinsak (2011 Fiero Publishing / 177 KB / e-Book)

Ward gets a frantic phone call on Easter Sunday from his ex-wife who swears she has seen their dead children Jimmy and Josh while visiting the cemetery.  Confused, Ward decides to meet her and find out what’s going on.  Ward doesn’t remember what happened the day his sons died while on a fishing trip together.  

Ward meets his ex-wife Merilee at the same hotel where he stayed with the boys on their Easter vacation one year ago.  The room seems to trigger some memories and Ward decides to try and found out how they died.  As his memories return, we discover that Ward was having an affair and Merilee divorced him, going off the deep end.  Ward soon learns the truth about what happened that awful Easter when he lost his boys.

FLOATERS is a creepy short story about a man who does the unthinkable to get what he wants.  Well-written and with memorable characters, the reader discovers just how monstrous a man can be.  It is suspenseful with a few surprising twists near the end.  It’s a quick read that I thoroughly enjoyed.

-Colleen Wanglund

KINSMEN by Bill Pronzini (2012 Cemetery Dance Publications / 192 pp / hc & limited edition hc)

Shame on me … apparently there’s an entire series of these Nameless Detective books, and I’m only just now finding out! KINSMEN is one of 36 of them, originally done in 1993 but reissued now in trade size. 

The idea of such a series presents a challenge that is fascinating from a writer’s perspective and intriguing from a reader’s. A story without identification of the protagonist? Sure thing. An entire book? Getting tougher, but okay. Maintain that for a whole SERIES? 

And yet, it works. We don’t know his name, but even from one book we get to know this guy as a character, as a person. It’s excellently done, and I’m curious to see how bits and pieces from the various books shapes up into the whole picture. 

KINSMEN is a mystery novel, a noir tale of the more-modern but still hardboiled variety, but the line between mystery and horror is often very thin, not to mention blurry. Especially when, as is the case here, the crime is something horrific but real, something that did, could, and still all too frequently does, happen. 

The mother of missing co-ed Allison Shay hires our Nameless Detective to find out what happened to her daughter. Allison was on her way home for a visit, and bringing someone to meet mom. A new boyfriend? She wouldn’t say, wanted it to be a surprise. But Allison never arrived. 

Change of plans? Inconsiderate elopement? breakdown on some lonely back road? The new boyfriend maybe not so wonderful after all? Or something even worse? Once Allison’s car turns up, abandoned far from her projected route, ‘something even worse’ starts looking more and more likely. 

It’s a very good read, if an uncomfortable one as the story unfolds. But then, it SHOULD be uncomfortable, because too many people ARE capable of such things.

-Christine Morgan

YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE, YOUR CHILDREN ALL GONE by Stefan Kiesbye (2012 Penguin Books / 208 pp / tp)

A group of childhood friends return home to attend the funeral of one of their own in a small village in Germany.  We are slowly introduced to each one and their lives while growing up in the village.  These children are not, however, innocent as they have been involved in murder, rape and betrayal.

This book thoroughly surprised me.  It is a rather dark look at the experiences of a group of friends told in a style reminiscent of Southern gothic horror.  It is at times quiet and subtle while at others coldly violent.  Kiesbye gives a slight nod toward the supernatural but most of the story deals with real life monsters—our friends and neighbors.  YOUR HOUSE IS ON FIRE, YOUR CHILDREN ALL GONE made my skin crawl.  What I really enjoyed was the question I was left with after one of the boys discovers a secret about his town—how monstrous can a human being, or a whole town, be?  This is one of my favorite books of 2012 and I look forward to reading more by Stefan Kiesbye.

-Colleen Wanglund

PREVIEW:

THE FALL OF NEVER by Ronald Malfi (to be released 3/13 by Samhain Publishing / 360 pp / tp & eBook)

I wanted to like this book, I really did … the writing is smooth, the style is beautiful, the story is intricate … but for the most part I found it wildly frustrating in terms of the characters, their motivations, and their actions. It felt railroady, and forced. 

Kelly Rich is summoned home because something’s happened to her sister. Kelly doesn’t want to go home, Kelly is estranged from her parents and has bad memories of the place. But she’s summoned by some lawyer, and she has to go. Even though nobody will tell her what did happen to her sister, nobody will explain anything, nobody will answer her questions … but she goes. She makes a couple token efforts to find things out, but doesn’t pursue or insist when she gets the brush-off.

I mean, sorry, but, hell no! At some point, a character’s got to put his or her foot down instead of being moved around like a chess piece, at least if I’m going to be able to care about that character in any meaningful way. 

And, in THE FALL OF NEVER, it’s not just Kelly. There’s a lot of it going around. Simple communication, people! Would have solved a lot of problems while still keeping, or making a more, interesting story. 

Eventually, (about 2/3 of the way through the book, and I admit it, I came close a few times to giving up before that), the obnoxious witholding-of-information dance wraps up and the story from then on is good … REALLY good … which makes the earlier bits all the more aggravating. 

Some books, if you don’t start at the beginning you might miss out on important elements … I think in this case it’s almost the opposite. It feels like taking a class from a professor whose response to every request for elaboration or clarification is met with only: “don’t worry, it’ll be on the final.”

So, if you want to skip ahead to the good stuff, I won’t tattle. The good stuff IS good, with Kelly and her sister, and the strange entity in the woods, and how it all ties in with the old lady … part dark fairy tale, part ghost story, part familial drama … once you get down to the meat of the story, it’s great.

-Christine Morgan

JACK BUNNY BAM BAM AND THE WEEPER APOCALYPSE by Eric S. Brown (2013 Bizarro Pulp Press / 58 pp / eBook & tp)

Jack Bunny is a tall, green rabbit assassin living on a future earth. He's like a cross between Boba Fett, Rambo, and a mafia hitman. He lives within a city that's protected by a wall of flame that can only be crossed by reciting a secret incantation.

The rest of the world has been overrun by Weepers, people infected with a virus that turns them into zombie-like creatures whose tears can turn their victims into part of their army. But now the fuel that keeps the flame wall up is getting low, and Jack Bunny's enemies want to team with him to fight the coming Weeper invasion. What ensues is another non-stop, gory action romp from the author of the BIGFOOT WAR series, and I'm sure his fans won't be disappointed.

I had a blast with JACK BUNNY, but I don't know why this is being pushed as a bizarro story; it's more of a dark scifi action fantasy that at times reminded me of a violent Bugs Bunny-meets-Mad Max hybrid. Either way, this quick read is a real blast and I'd like to see more from this sarcastic, nasty little rabbit...

DARKBOUND by Michaelbrent Collings (2012 Amazon Digital Services / 289 pp / eBook & tp)

Like subways aren’t scary enough already? Being packed into a confined space with a bunch of strangers, rocketing through a labyrinthine maze of tunnels … it’s like a combo pack of phobias BEFORE you start to factor in whether anybody’s sick, or crazy, or dangerous. 

Sure, most of the time, it’s a perfectly ordinary, perfectly safe commute. Sure, the stories you hear are the extreme examples, exaggerating a bad reputation. You won’t necessarily get panhandled, manhandled, groped, harassed, robbed, barfed on, assaulted, or killed. It’s not ALWAYS Clive Barker’s “Midnight Meat Train.”

Not at all. Sometimes, it’s worse. This time, in DARKBOUND, it’s WAY worse. For the six unfortunate commuters, it’s going to be far worse than they ever could have imagined. 

For Jim, eager to get home to apologize and make up for an earlier fight, things start going less than well when a creep in a trenchcoat peeks over his shoulder to make a remark about the picture he’s looking at. “Pretty,” this creep says, and Jim thinks it’s not Carolyn that’s the object of interest here, but little Maddie. 

The other waiting passengers don’t seem inclined to get involved, but then a fiesty little Hispanic grandma steps in to send the creep slinking away in shame. The encounter leaves Jim so shaken that, when the train arrives, he’s eager to dismiss as an attack of nerves the uncanny impression he gets from a fleeting glimpse of the driver. 

The feisty grandma sees it too, but accepts Jim’s suggestion that it was a trick of the light, and he accompanies her into the subway car. They’re soon joined by everyone else who’d been on the platform, including the creep … because none of the other cars’ doors will open. 

Weird, but, weird things happen, so they settle in for the ride. Which swiftly becomes the subway trip of nightmares, a bloodbath express with no way out. The train won’t stop. The doors won’t open. One by one, car by car as the survivors try to flee, passengers are picked off in hideous and agonizing ways. 

DARKBOUND is a bit of a departure from Collings’ previous works, but by no means in a bad way. It’s grim, gooshy, and gloriously gruesome … while also poetic in an almost Dante-esque way. Really good, highly recommended, make sure you have time to read a lot at one sitting since you may have a hard time putting it down. 

And, if you’re a commuter, you might NOT want to read it on the subway … I’ve rarely been gladder that my city is behind the times when it comes to mass transit.

-Christine Morgan

SEE YA'LL NEXT MONTH...