Horror World Book Reviews
December 2004

THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW edited by Nick Cato, various issues
Reviewed by Ron Dickie

Have you ever sat down for a few beers with a horror fiction fanatic? Someone who absolutely LOVES the genre and everything it has to offer, and who won't shut the hell up until you pledge to subscribe to Leisure's book club?

Okay, so publisher Nick Cato isn't quite that bad. Yet. However, the enthusiasm that he and his reviewers feel for the horror genre is quite palpable. You can almost feel their hands on your shoulders as you thumb through the latest issue of HFR, shaking you, getting your attention, and screaming, "Hey! Read this book!" in your face.

You won't agree with every review in HFR, of course, but some of its biggest fans disagree with everything Nick and company say. They are stirring the pot, so to speak, and more and more people are paying attention.

If the reviews don't grab you, the interviews will. Authors such as Jack Ketchum, Tom Piccirilli, and Gary Braunbeck have already been featured with the promise of a Bentley Little interview in the 7th issue.

Whether it's the reviews, interviews, columns on classic horror films, or folically-challenged authors (yes, you read that correctly), THE HORROR FICTION REVIEW has something for every fan of dark fiction or cinema.

Grab a copy, or even better, a subscription, from Shocklines now, you won't be disappointed!

**************************
FANGS AND ANGEL WINGS, by Karen E. Taylor; Bentacourt & Co., 2004; 269 pgs.
Review by Jonathan Reitan

Although Karen E. Taylor may be better known for the seven published books that make up her Vampire Legacy series, she has also managed to publish many solid short stories in a variety of anthologies. Her newest release, Fangs and Angel Wings gathers her uncollected stories and serves as an introduction to those who have not had the pleasure of reading her past books staring the loveable Deirdre Griffin.

To kick off each story, Taylor gives short introductions explaining the genesis behind each one, something all writers should do in their own story collections. This added bonus to each story makes the readers experience all the more pleasurable as it connects us to the author and gives us a foretaste of what we are about to read.

"Angel", a beautiful poem and first rate opener for the collection highlights Taylor's ability to tell a great and moving story no matter the form or length.

The first short story in the collection, "Blood of the Rose" in which a widow seduces a funeral home director in order to bring her deceased husband back to life is a very solid first story which leaves the reader hungry for more. To feed that hunger Karen offers next "The Calling", a poetic story of love and death which was commissioned to be read during a symphony performance of Camille Saint-Saens' "Dance Macabre" as the author explains in the story's introduction.

A shape-shifting convention goer appears next in "Contacts", a fun and very short story where we learn of the importance of contacts while in sticky situations. And it is not until the Festival of King Stag in "Dancing The King Stag's Moon", that a newly deceased young girl is able to accept her own death and give up haunting her father in this highly entertaining story.

"The Dept", an original poem to the collection only because its intended themed vampire poetry collection never saw the light of day, gives you just a taste of Karen's enjoyable vampire fiction in this haunting and lingering form of prose. "Freedom", a story set in the future where AIDS and cancer have nothing on a plague which ultimately separates families between the infected and healthy is an engrossing read with a shocking ending making this one of the best in the collection.

Taylor describes the next story ("Forever") best in her introduction as "Twilight Zone"-ish and the same can be said for "One Green Candle", a story of a woman's ultimate revenge on her cheating husband.

My favorite story in the collection, "Mexican Moon" has obviously touched many other readers as it was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award for short fiction. Taylor states that this is the most emotional of her stories and I can see why after reading it.

Karen lets her naughty side show in the next two in the collection, "The Mirrored Image" and "Obsession", both erotica stories that shred any chance the author has of appearing sweet and innocent.

Rounding out the collection are stories containing dinosaurs ("Romero Falling"), Van Helsing and a vampire named Bitsy ("Two's Company, Five's A Crowd"), and a virtual reality game that becomes a bit too real for a young woman ("VampWare").

Fangs and Angel Wings, nominated for a Bram Stoker Award, serves both as a perfect beginning point for those not familiar with Karen Taylor's work and as continuing proof to old fans that Taylor is a leading lady in her game and it's impossible for her to do wrong.

**************************

THE TURTLE BOY by Kealan Patrick Burke
Reviewed by Ron Dickie

Kealan Patrick Burke has been quickly making a name for himself in the horror-writing community for the past several years, editing two top-notch anthologies for CD Publications and Borderlands Press and releasing his own collection of stories, RAVENOUS GHOSTS, from Delirium Books. He now adds the novella THE TURTLE BOY, from Necessary Evil Press, to his already impressive resume.

School is out for the summer and eleven year old Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete Marshall are making the town of Delaware, Ohio their own personal playground. Everything changes for them on the day they find a young boy on the banks of Myers Pond - a pond rumoured to contain turtles the size of Buicks. The lustre wears off of their home town, as they discover betrayal and murder are just two of the secrets their community holds.

THE TURTLE BOY is one of those stories that stays in your head long after you've finished reading it. Creepy and atmospheric, it will make you reminisce about your own youthful summers, but also make you look at them in a slightly different, darker light. Sure you can walk down memory lane, but after reading THE TURTLE BOY, you'll be looking over your shoulder from now on.

Kealan Patrick Burke has already proven that he is a talent to watch, with THE TURTLE BOY, he proves that you better move quickly or you will miss something truly wonderful.

Previous reveiws will appear in the Archives in the coming weeks

Sponsored by: