Horror World Book Reviews
April, 2008

BLACK MAGIC WOMAN by Justin Gustainis
Review by JG Faherty

{10-second Review: If you enjoy the Dresden Files series, you’ll be right at home with the latest of the quirky, self-deprecating supernatural sleuths, Quincy Morris, in this first entry in a new series by Justin Gustainis.}

All you fans of supernatural investigators, rejoice. There’s a new detective in town, and he just happens to be a descendent of the very same Quincy Morris who helped Van Helsing do away with Dracula. So it’s no surprise he’s gone into the family business, so to speak.

Morris is a supernatural investigator; we find out quickly that he’s equally adept at disposing of vampires and ridding houses of unwanted spirits. Along the way, he finds himself in the obligatory perils and pops off a fair share of quips.

Black Magic Woman follows the successful plot line that every good action novel takes, from James Bond to Repairman Jack. The story begins with a Bondian adventure, a one-chapter vampire cleansing that introduces our main character, Quincy Morris, with flair and action. The book then shifts gears into the dependable noir mode, with a prospective client visiting Quincy in his office. Naturally, Morris takes the job, which at first glance appears to be a rather standard poltergeist infestation.

However, as with any action-adventure, things aren’t quite what they seem. Quincy calls his sometimes-associate, white witch Libby Chastain, to assist him, and they soon ascertain that the LaRue family is being haunted by more than just a ghost; in fact, a powerful black witch has it out for them.

As the story moves on, subplots and new characters come into play, and Gustainis does an excellent - if not subtle - job of weaving Morris’s case together with an FBI investigation involving child sacrifices and ritualistic dark magic.

Every chapter has a good helping of action in it to keep the reader turning the pages, and the characters - especially the FBI agent and his South African detective counterpart - are fleshed out nicely. The plot contains no gaping holes, and while it certainly doesn’t bring any new life or originality to the archetypes it deals with - namely vampires, werewolves, witches, or satanic cults - it does prove that if you create an interesting story, and write it well, then you don’t need to remake the wheel.

Now, no book is without its faults, and Black Magic Woman has its share. The dialog between Morris and Chastain is awkward in places; for two people who have apparently worked together on many cases, they seem to hardly know each other. And Gustainis occasionally tosses in rude epithets and vulgar remarks as if just for the hell of it, since they don’t seem appropriate for either the character or situation.

But the facts of the story have been well-researched, especially the parts about South African witchcraft, and the villains are particularly nasty. In fact, I’d have liked to see more of them; they seem to only pop in just long enough to cause some trouble, and then they’re gone again.

Reading Black Magic Woman is like putting on a pair of comfortable slippers. As with any of the good supernatural detective series - The Dresden Files, Angel, Buffy, The Vampire Files, Repairman Jack - this book immediately makes you feel like you’re at home, and happy to be there.

Considering it’s only the sophomore effort from Mr. Gustainis (his previous book, The Hades Project, didn’t involve Quincy or his associates), I expect even better things with the second book in the series, slated for 2009. All in all, this was a fun read, and I’d recommend it to any fan of the genre.

Solaris Books

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CATACOMBS by John Farris
Review by Norm Rubenstein

Jerad Walters and Millipede Press have just released the latest in their superb ongoing line of books bringing back into print some of the finest works of horror and suspense. All such Millipede Press titles are normally available in two distinct versions.

The latest book to receive the “Millipede treatment” is John Farris’ Catacombs, which saw its initial publication back in 1981. The new Millipede edition totaling 491 pages comes with an informative and intelligent Introduction that details some of author Farris’ more important literary and cinematic contributions by famed author David J. Schow. The book additionally has both the original Afterword by author John Farris along with a new Afterword to the Millipede edition by John Farris as well. There is a limited, numbered cloth edition of two hundred and fifty copies, which have been signed by both John Farris and David J. Schow, as well as famed artist Harry O. Morris, who contributed yet another stunning piece of full color art for the book’s cover. This Limited signed and numbered cloth edition is a great value for collectors and even general readers.

Every Millipede Press cloth edition utilizes identical and very handsome thick rich black cloth book covers with the book’s title and author displayed in gold along the spine. Instead of a dust jacket, a full-color piece of art by a prominent artist is inserted onto an indented space centered upon the front cover. These books look especially good sitting upon a bookshelf, and are constructed with top quality materials, and utilize sewn bindings and distinctive, handsome and easily read fonts upon top quality acid-free recycled paper. There is also a deluxe leather-bound and traycased edition of only fifteen copies available at additional cost.

For those unfamiliar with John Farris, he is the prolific author of approximately forty books, including, most famously, The Fury, which was made into a famous film directed by Brian DePalma, and for which Farris scripted the screenplay. John Farris has also written a number of other screenplays, and even directed films, such as 1973’s Dear Dead Delilah. Additionally, the accomplished Farris has had a number of his plays produced off-Broadway, and writes poetry and paints.

Catacombs is an exciting novel set during the early 1980’s prior to the collapse of the apartheid regime of south Africa, primarily in the east African country of Tanzania, and centers around some startling discoveries made inside hidden vaults and “Catacombs” within Mount Kilimanjaro by an archeological team, with global-wide repercussions. Ten thousand years ago an ancient advanced civilization of humanoid cheetahs, the Zan, ruled the African continent. They were possessed of a technology far more advanced then our own, and left a record of their accomplishments carved into a large number of huge red diamonds, each of which is worth many millions of dollars now, just as the rarest of all gemstones, let alone for their technological and archeological significance. Indeed, this ancient and now supposedly extinct race had figured a method for utilizing the Earth’s core and magnetic fields to generate a protective force field, one that would and could protect a country from foreign nuclear missiles. Obviously, such a nuclear shield is of interest to both the cold-war era super-powers, the USA and USSR. The formula and the inscribed red diamonds are under the control of the elderly and ill black African leader of Tanzania, Jumbe Kinyati, who is further bitter over the recent murder of his two sons by mercenaries affiliated with the white South African regime. Jumbe has a master plan to force the ouster of the white Afrikaans South African government, and the unification and empowerment of much of the African continent. In order to succeed, he needs a number of tactical nuclear weapons and operators from either/both of the world’s super powers. With the newly discovered force-field generator of the ancient “people” of Zan, Jumbe has found an irresistible bargaining chip.

Catacombs is a real entertaining page-turner. The author introduces a number of fascinating characters, including agents of both the USA and USSR governments in the style of James Bond, as well as many other political, scientific, and even “ordinary” figures. The action is non-stop and the plotting adroit. Perhaps of most enjoyment, personally, was the vibrant and breathtaking depictions of east Africa, its geography, geology, wildlife, and peoples described by someone who has obviously spent a good deal of time there, and is capable of vividly and accurately depicting this to the reader. This true cross-genre novel is well written and eminently enjoyable – a most pleasant reading experience for a wide range of booklovers. Congratulations to John Farris for the fine novel which should never have been allowed to go out of print, and to Jerad Walters and Millipede Press for yet another truly superb addition to the growing library of Millipede Press titles that salvage for contemporary readers, true classics of the horror and suspense genres that well deserve to be rediscovered and read. Catacombs receives my highest recommendation.

Millipede Press

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FIREFLY RAIN by Richard Dansky
Review by Patricia Snodgrass

The fireflies won’t fly onto Logan’s parent’s property. He noticed that the first night he stayed in the house since his mother’s death. He stood in the road and watched them in the pasture beyond, yet they would not cross the road and fly into his yard. Even when he caught a few and brought them onto the porch he discovered they died just a few minutes afterwards.

Logan was curious but not curious enough to want a solution.. He wanted to finish up business that his mother left behind and return to the sane normality of Boston.

Instead, someone steals his Audi and the local police are reluctant to help. There’s something very wrong with Carl Powell, the farm’s caretaker and personal friend of his mothers’. And there are other things not quite right either, such as pharmacy owner and the preacher. Not to mention a neighbor who befriended him.

Strange occurrences escalate, both in town and at his house. Someone is sleeping in his deceased parent’s bed. He catches glimpses of his stolen Audi. And a neighbor’s dog is intent on killing him.

The mystery deepens, and Logan is forced to come to terms with a force that wants to keep him on the family farm forever.

Firefly Rain isn’t your typical mystery. Set in North Carolina, Dansky takes the reader on a journey that’s part fantasy, part ghost story, part mystery and total fun. There’s lots of clues in this story, even more twists and turns. One of the things I liked best about it is that try as I might I couldn’t solve the mystery until the last page. It is well written, the pacing isn’t fast, but it is consistent and the story is so compelling that I couldn’t put it down. Not only did I totally enjoy it, but slipped it back into my to be read pile for a summer re-read.

Firefly Rain is an excellent addition to anyone’s to be read pile. I highly recommend it.

Wizards of the Coast Discoveries

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THE WILDMAN by Rick Hautala
Review by Norm Rubenstein

Paul and Callie Little, who have been involved with the sale of Horror Genre books for years, recently announced the creation of an exciting new book publishing company concentrating in releasing high quality limited editions in both numbered and lettered formats, named Full Moon Press. Full Moon Press has already announced an awesome and ambitious array of new titles for release during 2008, the very first of which is the forthcoming The Wildmanby veteran Horror author Rick Hautala. I was lucky enough to receive an advance PDF of the uncorrected text of Hautala’s newest novel and Full Moon Press’ inaugural title, and am pleased to pass along this early initial review of The Wildman

For those unfamiliar with Rick Hautala, he is the talented author of at least twenty published books beginning in 1980, including the international best seller, Nightstone, The Mountain King, Cold River, the recent Delirium Books release, Untcigahunk, and the highly anticipated and about to be released Cemetery Dance Publications short story collection, Occasional Demons. Author Hautala has published well over fifty short stories, and Cemetery Dance Publications previously released his initial popular short story collection back in 1999 entitled Bedbugs. Rick Hautala has served as both Vice President and Trustee of the Horror Writer’s Association (HWA), and lives with his family in southern Maine.

The Wildman is definitely a novel-sized work, coming in at four hundred and nineteen pages in its uncorrected form, and not counting any Introductions and/or other additions that might appear in the final published volume. The novel’s protagonist, Jeff Cameron, is a forty-seven year old divorced real estate salesman living and working in southern Maine. He is contacted, out-of-the-blue, by a childhood friend whom he hasn’t heard from in the last thirty-five years. As a child, Jeff had attended a Summer Camp, Camp Tapiola, located in western Maine on Sheep’ Head Island in Lake Onwego. He had for a number of summers shared a Cabin, Cabin Twelve, with six other campers. They had all sworn that they would be BFF’s (Best Friends Forever), and had shared some great times, until a single horrific event led to the permanent shutting down of the Camp when they were twelve years old, and they had not seen nor spoken to each other since, in the intervening thirty-five years. Now, one of his former camp tent-mates, Evan Pike, the former de facto “leader” of the boys, who turned out to be an entrepreneur and real estate developer, has purchased the entire Sheep’s Head Island, including what’s left of the old camp site. Evan has now proposed a reunion of the “boys” from Tent Twelve to take place on the deserted island camp site prior to his company’s turning the island into an upscale resort community next Spring.

While Jeff isn’t exactly anxious to attend, he allows himself to be slowly talked into taking part in the grand reunion, and is admittedly a bit curious to renew acquaintances with his former childhood friends. Jeff learns that their former Camp Counselor, Mark Bloomberg, cannot join the festivities, as he had died of a sudden heart attack at age twenty-nine, and that another of his tent-mates, Ralph Curran, had also died a few years previously after being attacked and stabbed in a bar in his native Boston during a brawl over a Yankees-Red Sox baseball game. The remaining tent-mates all agree to attend, which, besides Jeff and Evan, include Tyler Crosby, now an entertainment attorney living in Los Angeles, Fred Bowen, who was a nervous, stuttering kid when at camp, and Mike Logan, the “jock” of the group.

Jeff has one other reason for going back to the island and seeing all these people again, and it involves his continuing curiosity and even fear over the tragedy of thirty-five years past that caused the camp’s original closing. Their final tent-mate was a small, lonely boy named Jimmy Foster, to whom Jeff felt particularly close. Jimmy had turned up missing one afternoon, and eventually was found drowned in the lake. Poor Jeff had snuck out of his tent as the body was being recovered, and had, in shock and grief, shot past the emergency personnel, and viewed the corpse of his little friend, and was traumatized by his apparent discovery that Jimmy’s neck had been slashed open. Was poor Jimmy murdered, or had the wound been just some post-death trauma via natural causes after Jimmy drowned? While the death had been ruled accidental, no one has ever been certain. Jeff, however, is convinced that Jimmy had indeed been murdered, and wonders if just maybe, one of his childhood BFF’s might be responsible for Jimmy’s murder.

Author Hautala expertly sets his stage and gives the reader both a number of interesting and compelling characters as well as a great storyline. Hautala’s writing is intelligent and economical and, after the initial setup, keeps the story moving at breakneck speed throughout the majority of the novel, with ever-escalating tension, some clever red-herrings thrown in, and truly inspired and brilliant plot twists. The Wildman is a vastly entertaining novel, one that is very easy for the reader to quickly and totally immerse him or herself in, and to happily lose all track of time while reading.

The Wildman is a wonderful and inspired selection for Full Moon Press to be utilizing to introduce itself to the Horror and Suspense Genre readership. It is a most auspicious beginning for Full Moon Press, and if their future titles are anywhere near as exciting, enjoyable, and well written, they should have no problem in rapidly establishing an excellent reputation and record, and in selling out their entire planned limited edition publications. As it stands, The Wildman receives my highest recommendation, without reservation, and readers would do well to make certain to obtain a copy of this book while such copies remain available. This is definitely one of Rick Hautala’s best novels, and is likely to receive serious consideration when awards time next comes around. It should prove to be an admired and proud addition to anyone’s library and/or collection.

Full Moon Press

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ONLY CHILD By Jack Ketchum
Review by Norm Rubenstein

For my money, author Jack Ketchum should certainly make any informed Horror/Dark Fantasy/Suspense reader’s “top five” Author’s List. Ketchum knows how to tell a story, and how to keep a reader captivated throughout the entirety of a story of any length, while keeping the reader riveted to each and every word along the way. Ketchum’s communication with the reader is so visceral and compelling that the author makes everything seem deceptively smooth and easy. It is only after a reader has finished a Ketchum novel and the author’s special “reality distortion field” begins to weaken, that the sheer scope and depth of the journey just experienced begins to sink into the reader’s consciousness. I have yet to encounter a single work of fiction by Jack Ketchum that in any way disappoints, and Only Child is no exception.

Only Child was originally released as a softcover-only original novel in England in 1985 under its British title of Stranglehold. It has been long out-of-print. Now, twenty-three years later, thanks to Barry Hoffman and his Gauntlet Press, the novel is seeing its very first hardcover release in both a glorious Limited Numbered, and even more refined Lettered edition of just over four hundred pages. Both editions have been signed by both the author and acclaimed artist Harry O. Morris, who provides yet another striking and edifying piece of cover art. Those familiar with Gauntlet Press already know to expect the book to exhibit the finest in the way of construction and materials as well as design. Gauntlet Press excels in publishing truly fine quality limited edition hardcovers that anyone would be proud to own, as well as having launched their own trade softcover line of impressive titles by well known authors.

Only Child is a work of psychological, rather than supernatural, horror – and is all the more frightening for it. As this is a highly experiential book to read, the very last thing I will do is to discuss or reveal too many particulars of the novel’s plot, which should more properly be experienced firsthand. So briefly, the novel introduces the unforgettable character of Arthur Danse, who is as chilling and creepy as any Hannibal Lector, and arguably far more “real.” The novel in part involves the story of Arthur and his families – both his wife, Lydia and his young six year old “only child,” his son Robert, and also Arthur’s relationship with his own parents, Harry and Ruth.

The novel, in part, involves a courtroom battle over the custody of little Robert between his parents, and involves accusations of sexual abuse of the young child. The courtroom scenes themselves, as well as the strategizing by the opposing legal counsel, are taut and compelling. As to their veracity, as a former trial attorney who spent over twenty years handling domestic relations and custody cases, I am both amazed by and appreciative of the extensive and exhaustive amount of research that author Ketchum obviously put into this book. Again, all the hard work and long hours of behind-the-scenes research conducted by the author handsomely pay-off in scenes that are not only forceful, but convincing and absolutely accurate, even down to the subtle nuancing of the ways in which the legal system and those within it actually work, and how the system can be “played.” Such attention to detail and authenticity and willingness to invest the extra time to get things “right” help make Mr. Ketchum a superior writer, and make his stories so effective and gripping. There are, of course, other important issues at stake within the novel besides the custody issues, and the reader is kept at a high level of tension that only escalates as the novel moves towards its crushing climax.

What is so special about this book is that at the point a reader completes the novel, they will experience a cathartic moment or three. It is then that the emotionally drained reader will invariably turn to the short, four-page Afterword written by the author, and the Reader is well advised to make certain NOT to ruin things for him/her-self by doing so any earlier! The revelations encountered within the few pages of author Ketchum’s Afterword are certain to completely change the reader’s entire experience, understanding, and appreciation of the novel. Only Child is one novel that you are certain to remember, and will continue to think about long after you’ve finished reading it. Only Child makes an indelible impression upon readers, and is one novel that you simply will not wish to miss out upon, and receives my highest recommendation. Indeed Only Child just continues to demonstrate why Jack Ketchum deserves to be on anyone’s List of top authors.

Gauntlet Press

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LOST PRINCE by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Review by Norm Rubenstein

Borderlands Press has done us all a great service by publishing justly acclaimed author Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s novel, Lost Prince, in an elegant and affordable trade softcover edition.

The novel is set in Imperial Spain circa 1564-65, just over 70 years after Columbus first discovered the New World when Spain was at the height of its power and wealth, and where the Inquisition still held sway wielding fearsome power. The novel posits the existence of a Spanish King, Alonzo II, who is cursed by a young woman who protests her innocence even as she is being led to her death by the Grand Inquisitor, Juan Murador, to burn at the stake in a public act/ceremony known as an auto-de-fey, attended by the Royal Court. As a result of the curse, in which the dying woman targets the “innocents” of the King’s Habsburg bloodline, the King’s first Queen dies in childbirth while delivering his firstborn son, Don Rolon, and whose two daughters by his second Queen are both idiots. Both young women are pleasant of appearance, but so wholly without the light of intellect, that they have been barred by the Pope from being allowed to marry.

The King suspects that “the Curse” has carried over to his son in some fashion, as do others in the Royal Court and in the Church. But then, the King has never much cared for his legitimate son, Don Rolon, and much prefers his illegitimate son, Gil del Rey, who while clear of any suspicion of “the Curse,” is not exactly a devout and pious person, Gil being about as “innocent” as a dissolute but ambitious Spanish equivalent to France’s Marquis de Sade. Indeed, much to King Alonzo’s aggravation, (as well as Gil’s) the Pope has also barred Gil from being considered as a legitimate heir to the Spanish throne, an action also backed by King Alonzo’s brother, the Holy Roman Emperor, who has his own son, Otto, ready and willing to step in as next-in-line to the Spanish Succession, should anything happen to Don Rolon. Don Rolon is therefore suddenly called back before his father and summarily informed he is to be married to a niece of the Venetian Doge in order to secure valuable assets and treaties with the powerful and wealthy Venetians. This is Don Rolon’s one chance to try and redeem himself in his father’s eyes. All he need do is produce some male children with this new Venetian bride to perpetuate the bloodline and claim upon the Spanish throne, and his father will be forced to accept him as the official Heir – or so he thinks.

Don Rolon is a decent sort, and though intrigue is plotted against him from many sides, he does have his own friends in the Court and elsewhere. He has only one “slight” problem that just might interfere with and jeopardize his promising future. Unbeknownst to everyone else, and even from Don Rolon himself, for quite a while, it seems as if this Prince hasn’t managed to escape the effects of “the Curse” after all, for Don Rolon is a werewolf. Each month, during the night of the full moon, the innocent and God-fearing man turns into a ravenous and uncontrollable beast who kills, and who normally awakes the next day without any memories of what has transpired during the previous night. This is not behavior with which the Church and the offices of The Inquisition are likely to approve or condone as properly Christian. While this small summary hardly represents the barest tip of the wonderful iceberg that is the rich storyline of Lost Prince, it gives the reader some idea of just what to expect

Chelsea Quinn Yarbro is an author of exquisite and elegant prose as well as great, grand plotting and extensive research. She truly brings Sixteenth Century Spain alive for readers, and gives her readers deep, intricate characters and a fascinating and thrillingly page-turning plotline that will leave the readers wondering and committed to the book through the very last sentence. While some, with a certain justification, could claim that the novel is perhaps as much a brilliantly conceived and presented historical/romance/action novel as supernatural/horror tale, taken as a whole, the story is filled with both supernatural and psychological horrors as well as some very “quietly,” expertly, and subtly executed commentary upon various uncomfortable Modern, and truly contemporary ills facing our society even today. Lost Prince is a rich, intense, and superb literary feast that is chilling in a number of important ways and is a highly recommended read.

Borderlands Press

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Blood Moon by A. W. Gryphon
Review by JG Faherty

Blood Moon is the first novel from A. W. Gryphon. As such, you expect a certain lack of finesse in the writing; very few people put out masterpieces as their first book. But Blood Moon reads like a first draft rather than a first novel; there’s a great story here, but it’s buried beneath clunky writing.

The basic premise is that there are two warring factions of witches - one is good and one is evil, of course - who have been fighting each other since the late fourteen hundreds to fulfill a prophecy, that one of the sides will give birth to a witch of such vast power that she will be able to vanquish the other side on her twenty-eighth birthday.

Right away, the story bogs down; Gryphon seems to be under the impression that none of her readers will be the least bit familiar with the general conventions of witchcraft. Before the prologue, she gives us a quickie, one-page rundown on the definitions of witches and wicca. That’s okay; it’s actually a nice mood setter. But then starting on page two, she actually inserts pronunciations of peoples’ names and wiccan vocabulary (CUH-ven for coven; MAVE for Maeve; SOW-in for Samhain). By page two, it’s already annoying.

By page nine, where we actually get the definition AND the pronunciation for athame (a ritual dagger with a six inch blade and a six inch bone handle; AH-tha-my), it’s enough to make you want to toss the book into the nearest cauldron.

However, in sticking with it, it does get a bit better. We meet Amelia, who we immediately know is going to the Chosen One. The next couple of hundred pages take us from one adventure to the next, as Amelia fights a double battle against the ‘bad’ witches and also a mysterious cult bent on destroying all witches, good and bad.

The final third of the book has more than a bit of Carrie and/or Buffy and Willow in it as Amelia faces off against her enemies. Things seem to get wrapped up pretty neatly, but since this is supposed to be the first book in a trilogy, there’s got to be a twist, and Gryphon works that twist well here, leaving the reader unsure of which side certain people are on.

For all the action, the book doesn’t read quickly; Gryphon’s writing contains too much telling and not enough showing, a hallmark of a book not quite ready for publication yet. The fact that Blood Moon is being published through a company that also operates as a subsidy/vanity press might be an explanation for this; or, perhaps, the publishers believe the story is strong enough to overcome the book’s deficiencies. For me, this just wasn’t the case. In the end, I was glad I’d been supplied an review copy, instead of paying for the book.

But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t give it a chance. You could definitely do worse; the story can be captivating in places, and Gryphon does a good job of making her characters believable and interesting. It’s interesting to note that Gryphon’s previous writing credits include screenplays; this may account for the ‘telling’ vs. ‘showing’ problems with her writing.

Gryphon may yet have a good future in this business. She has the imagination and the talent. Now she needs an editor to smooth out her rough edges and steer her in the right direction.

Rock Publishing

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