Horror World Book Reviews
August, 2007

MR. HANDS by Gary Braunbeck
Review by Mark Justice

I never know how to start a review of a book by Gary Braunbeck.

His work affects me differently from that of almost every other writer working in the horror and dark fantasy field, and the effect he creates is hard to put into words (which is pretty damn ironic if you think about it).

Having finished Mr. Hands just moments ago, I think I can finally nail down my thoughts about what makes Braunbeck stand out from the pack.

It’s his humanity.

There’s more humanity on a single page of Mr. Hands than in four hundred pages of many recent horror novels, and it’s that subtle, gentle and honest touch that allows Braunbeck’s work to transcend the genre.

While most writers of lesser talent (and that includes almost everybody) would be content with a horror plot as solid as Mr. Hand’s (and it’s quite solid: a mother is so tormented by her grief that she unleashes a terrible creature on the world to exact her vengeance on anyone who has ever harmed a child), Braunbeck goes beyond what’s expected. He makes us feel the pain that the mother can never overcome. We understand her need to lash out at the cruelty in the world. He also makes us love a serial-killing savant, who only wants to end suffering. Braunbeck can even dredge up empathy for a man who thoughtlessly and horribly murdered his own daughter in a booze and drug filled rage.

Braunbeck’s power is that he can see our fear and our pain, and he can bring it to life in a way that can be both terrible and beautiful at the same time.

But he can also see light in the darkness, and his stories and novels, no matter how bleak they may become, also contain a kernel of hope, of humanity.

Mr. Hands is a fine novel and an important one. It’s hard to read it without being moved. That’s what good fiction should always do.

Leisure Books

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THE INTRUDERS by Michael Marshall
Review by Kelli Jones

With The Intruders, Michael Marshall constructs a brilliant myth that offers a disturbing explanation for what we commonly identify as mental illness in our loved ones. If you've ever wondered why the world and the people close to us seem to go mad, you'll be deeply affected by this novel.

The protagonist, Jack Whalen, is a haunted former cop. Over the course of the novel, he begins to wonder if his wife is leading a double life and seeks answers in  apparent links between her and a unique little girl named Madison who has gone missing. His doubts are reasonable and the answers he finds are frightening. It seems every time Whalen finds cause for relief, the rug is swiftly pulled out from under him.

Marshall expertly handles the building paranoia and constantly returns to the idea of what it means to be intruded upon. While this idea is central to the conspiracy he uncovers, it surfaces all over the novel, resulting in a story that, in retrospect, seems painstakingly unified.

He constructs Madison's character from a third-person point of view that keeps the reader isolated from her anguish until much later in the story. So believable is her character that you'll have cause to look at your own children differently.

Whalen, a first-person narrator with whom the reader will find it easy to identify, becomes increasingly paranoid as the novel builds to its satisfying, say-it-ain't-so conclusion. It's difficult to doubt Whalen's interpretation of facts because he takes so many small details into account in the course of drawing painful conclusions.

The overall effect will cause you to look twice at everyone around you when they break form from their personality. Marshall manipulates our worst fears with devastating precision and force.

William Morrow

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DEAD SEA by Brian Keene
Review by Kelli Jones

Lamar Reed, not the Siqquism, is the focus of Brian Keene's new zombie novel, Dead Sea. Readers of Keene's blog or other commentary on this novel may already know this is not the third in a "zombie trilogy."

First-person narrator Lamar  escapes zombie-infested Baltimore by boarding a ship along with nineteen other individuals and heading out to sea in search of a safe harbor. To say much of the supporting characters would ruin the shock value of some of the deaths. Through their back stories and the main narrative, the Murphy's-Law-like theme of Keene's Fear of Gravity collection surfaces in the story without governing every single development. Even the flatter ones work well as foils.

Depending on your ability to empathize with these characters, you may have, among others, two different reactions to this story. The worst case scenario is that you could think you have all of their fates figured out from the get-go and become bored. If that's the case, don't put the book down; there are enough worthwhile jolts and interesting developments in the characters to stick with it.

The best case scenario is that may identify so closely with these characters that, by the end of the story, you'll feel you've been trampled by a large herd of satiated zombies and subjected to the variety of pain and suffering such an indifferent crowd could deliver; then you would still have to keep running. To the novel's credit, it's effectively exhausting in that way.

Their situation is desperate, but Lamar and the supporting characters' ability to adapt to these circumstances gives the reader enough hope to heighten suspense. This is especially true as Lamar, with the help of the professor, realizes the similarities between his recent struggles and those of the heroes' in humanity's enduring myths.

The first paragraph establishes that Lamar still has the ability to surprise himself. If "character is action," then this guy's jumping off the page. If a man can digest everything he does without going postal, then there's hope for the human race, no matter how nebulous the future.

This novel seems even more tight and focused upon further examination of its well-fused parts. There are, in my opinion, two areas that could have been trimmed.

The wealth of information in the paragraphs on guns was lost on me, but Lamar's request for a simpler explanation from the speaking character prevented me from feeling totally alienated. Gun enthusiasts might enjoy the more complex version. 

My other minor quibble is with the professor's explanation of the hero myth. The point at which it occurs makes it reminiscent of supernatural horror films where the origin of the evil or conflict is explained by a sage-like character or old tome. Also, to those already familiar with the hero myth, this passage may seem unnecessarily lengthy. Other readers may find these details enrich the narrative.

On the whole, I found Keene's use of the hero myth refreshing as it plays out in this survival-in-the-face-of-zombies story. I'm used to zombies who chew on people rather than reshape them for the better, the latter of which is the case in Dead Sea. All told, this novel was a great ride, but it did not unseat The Rising as my favorite of his zombie novels.

Leisure Books

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DUST OF WONDERLAND By Lee Thomas
Review by Nate Kenyon

The past haunts the present in Thomas’s latest, a well-written cross-genre tale that reads like part Straub, part Braunbeck with a dash of gothic romance. When Ken Nicholson returns to New Orleans to be by his son Bobby’s side, who has been viciously attacked by unknown assailants, he finds a city full of old secrets and heartache. His ex-wife Paula doesn’t know quite what to make of him, and his teenage daughter Jennifer cannot forgive him for abandoning the family to be with his lover, David. Ken’s secrets run deeper than that, but he has hidden them from his family and in the process has almost forgotten his own dark deeds as a young man.

But the secrets of Wonderland soon come bubbling to the surface. Strange things keep happening to Ken and those around him; visions of death and destruction haunt them in broad daylight, and a mysterious man and woman seem to be stalking them. When Bobby is attacked again in the hospital and killed, Ken is devastated. Who could possibly want his son dead?

Still reeling with the loss, Ken is reunited with David. The past keeps pushing its way back into his life as he tries to cope with his grief and keep the rest of his family safe, while helping the police try to hunt down the killer.

But this killer knows far too much about Ken’s sordid past, more than he has ever told anyone. Many years before, when he was barely older than a teenager, Ken had been seduced by the owner of an exclusive club called Wonderland. That man, Travis Brugier, killed himself when Ken left him; but now, it almost appears as if Travis might still be alive, and might even behind the vicious attacks.

Stalked by a killer who may or may not be a ghost, haunted by terrible visions, and still burdened by guilt and shame over his past, Ken must fight to keep his loved ones alive against overwhelming odds, and return to the one place he had hoped never to see again: Wonderland.

The Dust of Wonderland is a complex and emotional novel full of well-drawn characters and good writing. The mood of the novel mirrors New Orleans, dark and hot and more than a little surreal, but Thomas keeps the plot moving on a tight line where a less-skilled author might have lost control.

The themes of guilt and redemption are a central part of Wonderland, as Ken must confront his past and accept it before he can truly begin to live again. And New Orleans is like another character in the novel, the descriptions of the streets and houses so well done they seem to leap right off the page.

What is real and what is not? In New Orleans, dreams overlay reality, the past overcomes and blends with the present. That subtle sense of dread you feel may not be your imagination at all, and the ghost that flits across the edges of your sight just may be trying to tell you something.

It would be a good idea to listen.
Alyson Books

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ROOM 415 By Edward Lee
Review by W.D. Gagliani

Here's a dirty little secret: We're all voyeurs. That's right, we can deny it (after all, it's dirty), but when haven't we perked up and listened to a "good" conversation or argument in the next booth? When haven't we listened intently as our neighbors threw dishes at each other again (and later made the bed squeak)? Or wondered what the two voices were talking about when their cordless conversation poured into our phone? We might not seek out these situations, but we rarely avert our eyes and ears. Who doesn't look at the accident at the side of the road? Why are all the spy and cell phone cameras so popular? And then there's television – isn't that a voyeur's dream come true? It started with MTV's The Real World, the reality craze, then moved on to Survivor and Big Brother, so now their bastard children are things like The Next Food Network Star and Top Chef.

There's a point here, somewhere. Oh, yes, we are all voyeurs to some degree. Voyeurism has fueled many a horror tale, and many a thriller (Rear Window, anyone?). Author Edward Lee has exploited just about every sort of depravity known and unknown to man, making his gonzo horror both legendary and reviled, both masterful and exploitative.

In "Room 415," a new Necro Publications chapbook, we find a more muted Ed Lee pondering our voyeuristic tendencies and where they might lead. The story was included in the deluxe version of Necro's Damned anthology, but appears in this format with an alternate ending. As is often the case, Lee says story grew out of personal experience, albeit not quite as titillating as what happens to protagonist Jake Flood. In Florida for one of those computer peripheral vendor conventions, Jake is awake and smoking illegally at his hotel window late one night, when he spots some action between three people visible in another window across the way and below. What he does (and doesn't do) next is both expected and human. But what he does with the information later -- well, that's the part that drives the point home. We're all voyeurs, and we all know how to exploit some illicit knowledge. And we all sometimes resolve a particular problem in an unanticipated way. Jake's problem is two-fold, and a Florida beach town is the wrong place for him to be. Bikinis and the stunning women who wear them are everywhere, and Jake... Jake can't quite move on from the love he still has for his ex-wife. But some kind of answer forms behind the locked door of Room 415, and Jake Flood's voyeuristic tendencies will change his life, even as they drag him into the most nightmarish kind of collusion imaginable.

This short tale is Lee at his most mainstream, though he still manages to step to the line and stick a toe over it. "Room 415" gleefully makes the reader complicit just as Jake becomes complicit. It's a nice piece of writing from one of our hardcore masters. The Necro design is clean and crisp, as always, and cover art by Travis Anthony Soumis is striking, if non-representational. It can safely be said that Ed Lee completists will want "Room 415" for the alternate ending. If you haven't read Ed Lee, then this will make a perfect one-bite sampler.

Necro Publications

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AFTER MIDNIGHT by Richard Laymon
Review by Patricia Snodgrass

Call her Alice. That’s not her real name of course. She has to remain quiet about that, among other things, because she is a wanted woman. In After Midnight she tells us first hand about happened the night she house-sat for her best friend. She explains why she killed Tony, her unwanted savior. She allies herself with Judy, a woman she plans to kill once she gets her into the woods. Instead she needs Judy’s help in order for both of them to survive the night.

There is no denying that Laymon is a superior writer. He writes with a refreshing crispness and clarity that sends the story on a reckless pace throughout Alice’s (not her real name, she will continually remind us) dark night of the soul. I am sure that long time Laymon fans will appreciate this offering.

The only problem I had with the story was Alice’s anal attention to details. She describes every action and obsesses over minutiae. After a while I found myself flipping idly through the pages wondering when the plot would pick up. Alice uses clichés and says ‘here’s the deal’ too many times. Otherwise, it’s a good story with well developed characters and an interesting ending. I’m still not sure exactly how I feel about Alice, but I understand she had a rough night.

Laymon is an outstanding writer and I look forward to reading more of his work.

Recommended.

Leisure Books

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THE LONG LAST CALL (includes the bonus novella Conscience)by John Skipp
Review by Kelli Jones

Take Brian Keene's advice in his introduction for The Long Last Call, which includes the bonus novella, Conscience. His words are an enthusiastic and appropriate drum roll for a novel by a man at the helm of the 80's Splatterpunk movement as he returns to mass market paperback with two stories that are sure to grab you by the throat.

The name of the strip club in the novel The Long Last Call is Sweet Thangs, but the atmosphere there is dirty enough to make you crave a shower. You'll likely feel this way even before the blood starts flowing.

When a dark, sadistic stranger arrives at the club, it's as if the lights have dimmed to a threatening darkness. Why he picks this particular place or this group of people is withheld, but it's made clear that a world of hurt is in store for them. He plays upon the club denizens' weaknesses; wishes for money and sex. We learn that he quite literally oozes evil and drags the worst, basest impulses out of the other characters, turning the club into a bloodbath.

Skipp handles a fairly large ensemble of characters for such a short novel. While some could have been fleshed out a bit more, they're all quite distinctive from one another. The ones with whom we spend the most time, particularly Mom, Hank, and the dark stranger are engaging and slightly removed from a generally sleazy fray of strippers, one of them a sympathetic innocent type, and some of their less savory patrons. The whole thing has a feverish nightmarish quality fit for a nightmarish film adaptation thanks to the quick scene changes and use of direct, no-nonsense prose to render intense gory visuals. This one will knock the wind out of you!

Between this and the bonus novella, Conscience, you'll be happy to see Skipp's return. I personally preferred the latter, but that's really an apples-and-oranges comparison. With Conscience, Skipp takes readers into the mind of middle-aged hitman, Charley Weber, whose conscience is catching up to him in a very tangible way. He's uncomfortable in his own skin, but he accepts it enough for day-to-day living.

Charley might strongly dislike nearly every person with whom he comes in contact in his home of L.A, but through his eyes, that city has a beautiful pulsing life to it! It's by no means a perfect city, but Charley's not a perfect guy, and he's just as aware of the flaws in his surroundings as he is of those in himself. Seeing the city through his eyes feels like the best rock n' roll music video ever filmed. I can't speak enthusiastically enough about Charley's strange, freight-train-fast trip.

Leisure Books

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GENERAL SLOCUM'S GOLD by Nicholas Kaufmann
Review by Ron Dickie

The lure of buried treasure has led many men to their doom in the past. In General Slocum's Gold, Nicholas Kaufmann gives us a fresh take on an old story. A man called Sackett, fresh out of prison, is recruited to help retrieve a fortune in gold buried on a lonely island near New York City. How the gold made it to New York in the first place is a story unto itself, and Kaufmann weaves the two seamlessly into a compelling, exciting, adventure.

Sackett, however, is no ordinary thief or mercenary. He has a gift. A power that he uses to pull of heists that no one else can, and this one appears to be an easy in and out for Sackett and his crew. Unfortunately for them, it is far, far more than that.

Nicholas Kaufmann's prose is crisp and clean, and his characters live, breathe and bleed. What could have been a humdrum heist story in the hands of anyone else is turned on its ear and given a fresh perspective. Harkening back to the pulpy men's adventure stories of the 30's and 40's, General Slocum's Gold is a dark thrill ride that will keep you reading frantically until you reach its exciting climax. F. Paul Wilson's popular character, Repairman Jack, came to mind while reading this story, but really, the main similarity between Jack and Sackett is that they have skilled writers running them through the wringer.

If I had one quibble with this story, it would be its length. Coming in at 40 pages, the story is exactly as long as it needs to be, sure, but… Sackett is such an interesting character, I would gladly have read an entire novel's worth of his adventures. Mr. Kaufmann? Are you listening?

Burning Effigy Press

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JOHNNY GRUESOME by Gregory Lamberson
Review by Steven E. Wedel

Sometime last year Gregory Lamberson asked me to be one of his advance readers on a new novel he’d written called JOHNNY GRUESOME. The story is an idea he’d been kicking around, mostly as a screenplay, since the 1980s … about the same time his cult film SLIME CITY first hit theaters. Since my reading of the early draft of the novel, Greg has turned his undead Johnny Gruesome character into a multi-media promotion sensation. So, what I’m going to do here is talk a bit about a couple of the subsidiary projects before reviewing the actual book.

GRUESOME CD

A few of the songs on this 10-track disc are based directly on the story and characters in Greg’s novel, while others take their inspiration from different dark matter. All the songs are written by Giasone and wife Marcy Italiano, and feature the Italianos on instruments, along with Brett Savory, Scott Carter-Jackson, Heath Abbott and even Greg himself providing the voice of a doctor on “Rigor Mortis.”

The songs are fun, often dark or campy, in the style of Alice Cooper’s WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE, but with a harder, more modern edge to them. We start off with an appropriate, stormy recitation of a passage from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner.” Then the guitars and a catchy beat kick in for “Rigor Mortis,” giving us a first taste of what we’re in for on the rest of the disc. “Over the Hill” will have you replaying it and asking, “Did he say what I think he said?” The answer is no, he didn’t, but it’s still a helluva song. “Monster” has more energy than that canned drink of the same name that all the kids are guzzling.

“Aunt Alicia” is an abrupt shift from the hard, dark edge of “Monster.” Once again, fans of vintage Alice Cooper will see the original shock-rocker’s influence as we’re led through a jazzy but twisted tune fans of George A. Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” will love. Next up is what I feel is the strongest track on the disc, “Gruesome.” This is an incredibly catchy number that will instantly get stuck in your head and you’ll find yourself singing, “I’ve always been gruesome and I’m never gonna stop” before launching into some air guitar.

“Graveyard Blues” is, well, a bluesy piece about what you can do when your time is over. “Mary Whispers” is short and pretty creepy, with voiceover by Marcy Italiano. “Sorry Mary” picks up the beat again with a racing, hard drum and crunchy guitars. “Death Mobile” will make you think it’s the mid-1980s all over again, and we know that was the high point in music history. Good stuff.

Bottom line, the GRUESOME CD is a diverse mix with a solid backbone of hard rock that will definitely appeal to the target audience of people who enjoy the novel.

GRUESOME FILM

Hey, Johnny Gruesome started out as a film idea, so you knew its creator would have to play in that medium. The short film (just about nine minutes) is really back-to-back music videos playing out a VERY abbreviated version of the novel’s plot while Giasone plugs his guitar into the coolest amp ever and rocks out in a cemetery while Johnny revisits some old friends.

Fans of SLIME CITY will cheer over this film. It’s also a low-budget affair, but Greg makes good use of what’s available, most notably actress Erin Brown. The switchblade to the head is the most telling element about the film’s budget, but it’s forgivable in the overall scheme.

It’s a fun little movie that serves its purpose of getting people interested in the novel. It gives the viewer the feel for what the novel is about, with just enough of the plot to get them interested without leaving them feeling like they know the whole story.

JOHNNY GRUESOME NOVEL (Bad Moon Books, 2007)

So, what about the novel? After all this hype (and hey, I didn’t touch on the comics, trading cards, or the death mask!), is the book worth all the effort? Absolutely! Greg showed that he knows how to write with his debut PERSONAL DEMONS a couple of years ago. Based on that, I had high hopes for JOHNNY GRUESOME, and he didn’t let me down.

The novel is really about Eric, Johnny Grissom’s best friend. Eric is the good student to Johnny’s heavy metal high school rebel. They became friends when Johnny pulled Eric out of a swimming pool. One night, while in a funk over getting wrongly suspended from school, Johnny goes for a drive with his girlfriend Karen, Eric, and hardcore stoner Gary. When Johnny makes like he’s going to drive his infamous Death Mobile off an icy bridge, Gary freaks out and strangles him. Gary convinces Karen and, finally, Eric to go along with him in making Johnny’s death look like an accident.

From there the basic plot is familiar as Johnny returns from the grave as the “headbanger from hell” to seek revenge on everyone who wronged him. Greg’s writing, and the details of the plot, are more than enough to keep readers turning pages, and there’s a very unexpected twist as Eric’s love life finally blooms in the story. As the body count builds, Eric is pushed closer and closer to a final confrontation with his undead best friend. One of my favorite scenes dealt with a loose head and a basketball.

Horror fans who loved the over-the-top novels and slasher films of the 1980s will see their youthful favorites released from an uneasy grave with JOHNNY GRUESOME. The killings are deliciously gory, the characters well developed and believable, and the pace is perfect.

After I read the novel the first time I wanted to pull out my Judas Priest CDs and watch Freddy Kruger off some teens. Now, Greg and his friends have provided the music and film to sate the nostalgic itch created by his fine novel. Read the book, listen to the music and watch the film. You don’t want to be on Johnny’s bad side!

You can find lots of “extra” information, such as the stories behind the songs, on the official Web site, http://www.johnnygruesome.com.

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A DARKNESS INBRED by Victor Heck
Review by Dennis Duncan

In the Great Midwest Flood of 1993 the small Missouri town of Hardin was completely submerged by the Mississippi River. The waters came and washed away, cars, houses, and entire family histories in a matter of days. The living however weren't the only ones affected. Graves from the local cemetery were washed away by the relentless flood waters.

Caskets were carried down the river along with something long forgotten. Underneath the cemetery an ancient evil lost to history was washed down stream.

It finally comes ashore in the backwoods of Missouri and is found by family of inbred hillbillies. They have survived for generations away from the outside world and years of inbreeding have left them hideously deformed. They unknowingly release the evil creature inside the coffin and their lives will never be the same.

Nate and Paige a young married couple soon find themselves prisoners of the family after their car is washed off the road and wrecked. They are at the mercy of people who have no concern for human life. They are brutalized and humiliated. They can only pray for a miracle, but they soon learn that they have more to fear than just their inbred captors. The creature rules over the family and it wants to bred with any fertile female so it can spawn a race of hideous offspring that will take over the world.

Edward Lee has said A Darkness Inbred was one of the most disturbing books he has ever read. A Darkness Inbred is, without a doubt, one of the best hardcore horror stories ever written. I could not tear myself away from the dark, twisted world Mr. Heck created, but be warned, this story is not for the faint of heart.

I highly recommend A Darkness Inbred.

The Midnight Library

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