Horror World Book Reviews
December, 2009
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Bullet Trick by Ray Bradbury, Gauntlet Press, 2009; 414 pgs; $85.00
Ray Bradbury should need no introduction to anyone remotely interested in the greatest literature of the Twentieth (and Twenty-First) Century, and even less so to readers interested in horror and dark fantasy genre literature. Bradbury is nothing less than a living national treasure and, in my humble opinion, the finest, most brilliant author and literary thinker/imaginer (perhaps that should more fittingly read “imagineer”) of certainly the past century. Bradbury’s writing transcends genre and often powerfully portrays and comments upon the “human condition” in ways both original and universal. What makes Bradbury’s writing both so pleasurable to read and also so instructive for other writers (from would-be beginners to established successful authors) is the deceptive ease and tautness of his prose; Bradbury never wastes words, each and every word in a Bradbury story is there for a good reason. Bradbury is a master of language – he manipulates words as deftly and artistically as Seurat and Van Gogh manipulated little spots of paint – and in so doing allows readers to experience sometimes unexpected truths and insights without ever having to resort to heavy-handed preaching and always, always, while thoroughly entertaining readers and telling stories that resonate regardless of age, economic or social standing, nationality, or culture.
Thus it is that Bradbury’s latest book, ably edited by Donn Albright and published by Gauntlet Press, is a major cause to celebrate. Bullet Trick compiles and presents for the very first time together five never-before-published different teleplays written by Bradbury that appeared on television between 1955 through 1963. Also included are two prose adaptations of the teleplays that Bradbury wrote, and that differ in substantial and interesting ways from the teleplays themselves, plus two teleplays Bradbury wrote for the original Twilight Zone television series that were never actually produced and filmed, based upon short stories he’d previously written. The Deluxe Lettered Edition also includes, as an “extra” the one teleplay of Bradbury’s that was produced and filmed for the Twilight Zone series, the justly famous, “I Sing The body Electric.”
The first teleplay, “The Bullet Trick,” is a very mature, subtle, and intriguing look at love, infidelity, marriage and at relations between the sexes. It was written especially for the Jane Wyman Show, and co-starred Joseph Wiseman, pre Dr. No. There is nothing supernatural or overtly horrifying about the tale, indeed it is an adult love story - and yet it is intense and riveting. The teleplay is followed by Bradbury’s prose take on the same story. It is, not surprisingly, a bit more internalized and a bit less visually orientated, but just as tension-filled and revelatory in its own way.
The second teleplay, “Christmas,” was written as an episode of the Steve Canyon Show and is a beautiful and touching holiday episode set in a postwar displaced persons’ camp and brings the spirit of Christmas to a young child who has never known much happiness, and is a life-reaffirming and refreshing read for everyone.
The third teleplay, titled “The Tunnel To Yesterday,” is a speculative fiction drama involving an American crew of workmen digging through the Bavarian Alps with a new tunneling machine in order to build a railway between Munich and Vienna in 1959 who encounter a huge obstruction – a manmade super-bunker in which they discover a number of Nazi soldiers who’d been left to guard a supposedly legendary hidden fortress constructed by Hitler himself and who still believe that WW2 is still being fought, with the Germans winning, some fourteen years after Germany’s actual surrender. These soldiers, some of the Third Reich’s finest, do not believe the Americans, and a race against time ensues to try and prove the American’s allegations to the German soldiers before they execute their American hostage. This is an entertaining thriller that still reads as exciting television all these years later.
The next teleplay, titled “The Jail,” was written as an episode of Alcoa Premiere – a television series that showcased original one-hour dramas and was hosted by Fred Astaire. Bradbury’s script is a brilliant, futuristic drama that posits technological advances that will allow for the mind and soul of two human beings to be switched and transferred from one body to another. In this instance, such a machine is used by the government to punish a criminal by transferring his essence and individuality from his own healthy, young body into the body of an old, very ill, dying homeless man – thus also giving the homeless man the opportunity to live anew in a fresh, young, healthy body. Aside from the obvious issues, Bradbury’s teleplay, and his prose version, “Hand In Glove,” which immediately follows, also raise questions of contemporary relevance, as to whether any government should have such power and if it might be misused, as to what does, and should, constitute criminal behavior, and even as to what methods might constitute torture or be morally repugnant for a government to apply. Both the teleplay and short story are edge-of-seat compelling, and are a definite highlight of the book.
The fifth teleplay, “Dial Double Zero,” is another gem of horror/speculative fiction from Bradbury. In his brief note preceding the teleplay itself, Bradbury explains the genesis of the story; how when he is holding on a long-distance call one night, the author seems to hear strange noises and “ghost voices” faintly on the line. The frightening, paranoid, and even apocalyptic tale that Bradbury presents is another entertaining masterpiece and a story the reader will not soon forget.
The final two teleplays in the limited edition are two very entertaining teleplays that Bradbury wrote adapting two of his own famous short stories, “Here There Be Tygers,” and “ A Miracle Of Rare Device,” especially for Rod Serling’s original The Twilight Zone television series. These are both classic examples of Bradbury’s genius and the teleplay adaptations of his prose fiction do not disappoint. It is indeed a shame that these were never produced and filmed during the television series’ original run, as the teleplays are both very creative and entertaining, and lend themselves quite well to the visual medium that is television. As previously mentioned, the Deluxe Lettered edition contains an extra teleplay, that of the one Bradbury tale to have been actually filmed for The Twilight Zone – a justifiably well known and beloved episode of the series, “I Sing The Body Electric.”
For those readers who are already familiar with and enjoy Bradbury’s fiction, The Bullet Trick is a must read filled with original material being seen and available for reading for the very first time, and which showcase author Bradbury at the height of his creative powers. The book is equally entertaining as a unique introduction to Bradbury’s work in an accessible and interesting showcase. Finally, The Bullet Trick is also highly recommended for all writers who are curious about their craft and who can learn a good deal from a true master like Bradbury by being able to compare how he adapts his own short fiction to a more visual medium like television – and conversely, how the author also adapts a “visually orientated” teleplay and transforms it into pure prose fiction, as is the case with both “The Bullet Trick” and “The Jail.” The insights it offers to working writers no matter their current level of skill and/or experience are invaluable and well worth the price of the book.
One hopes that editor Albright will be able to discover further such Bradburian gems for our future enjoyment and edification, and that Gauntlet Press will continue to publish them, and this reviewer certainly encourages them in such efforts. To be privy to such new bits of genius from the brilliant and singular mind of one of our species’ greatest literary minds is and always will be cause for rejoicing – and for reading.
-- Norman L. Rubenstein
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30 Days of Night: Light of Day, by Jeff Mariotte; Pocket Star Books; 2009; $7.99
If you’re anything like me, it takes an awful lot to get you to read another vampire novel. Even discounting the Twilight series of books and their ilk, the glut of vampire novels over the last few years has been overwhelming, and for the most part, uninspiring and derivative. Though there have been a few exceptions.
F. Paul Wilson’s, Midnight Mass, and James A. Moore’s, Blood Red, are two fine examples of vampire fiction where cleaver plotting and excellent writing have overcome the ennui of this time worn subject matter. In addition to the above two novels dealing with vampires, I had also enjoyed 30 Days of Night: Rumors of the Undead, penned by Steve Niles and Jeff Mariotte. While there have been several more novels published in the 30 Days of Night series, they may not have been marketed well as they had pretty much escaped my radar.
Recently, I had purchased two of Jeff Mariotte’s novels, River Runs Red, and Cold, Black, Hearts, and found them to be fantastic reads. So I decided to pick up Mariotte’s latest, 30 Days of Night: Light of Day and check out the newest entry in the series. This time, it’s a Mariotte solo effort, and is written as a stand alone novel. After finishing Light of Day, I am pleased to say that Mariotte has joined Wilson and Moore in managing to breathe some new life into vampire fiction.
Mariotte’s plot is involved, but essentially it’s about a scientist who is working for a clandestine government group that is trying to understand molecularly, why vampires cannot live in sunlight. The scientist involved, Larry, is close to figuring this out when his lab is attacked by vampires and he is turned into one of the undead. As a vampire he is now one of the hunted, so he goes on the lam trying to complete his work. Only this time, it’s for an altogether different purpose.
On his trail is that same clandestine government group that he had been working for, led by a sexy, and extremely deadly, young woman named Marina. Marina and her gang of hardened recruits take great pleasure in killing vampires with phosphorous ammo and U.V. guided weapons, but when the members of her gang begin to die at the vampire’s hands, she starts having misgivings about her trade.
Also complicating matters for Marina is a small group of government agents who have no knowledge of Marina’s clandestine operation. They are investigating a series of murders of young woman whose throats have been cut and their bodies drained of blood. This small group suspects that the killer is a human who is pretending to be a vampire.
And lastly, Mariotte throws into the mix a couple of teenaged boys who want to become vampires in order to escape their boring existence. These boys decide the only way to do this is, is to attract the vampires to them by killing people and making it look as though vampires are doing it. Their hope is, is that when the vampires hear of the killings, they will seek out the humans that are committing them, and then turn the boys into actual vampires.
All of the plotlines mentioned above run mostly tangential to each other until the finale, and here’s one thing you can certainly say about Jeff Mariotte, he sure does know how to finish a novel with a stunning climax. On top of an epic battle scene at the books end, there is one hell of a twist that is so stunning it will shock readers, and the best part is that you’ll never see it coming.
This is one heck of a clever novel that makes vampires fun to read about again. So if you’re able, set aside your vampire prejudices for a few days and pick up Jeff Mariotte’s, 30 Days of Night: Light of Day, and be prepared to be entertained by one of the most talented horror authors plying his trade today. This one is highly recommended.
-- T. T. Zuma
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Visions Deferred: Richard Matheson’s Censored I Am Legend Screenplay by Richard Matheson, Gauntlet Press; 2009; 568 pgs; $16.95
Anyone who has seen one of three adaptations of I Am Legend knows something’s been a little off – ok – a lot off. One can only imagine Matheson’s face as he saw the final product up on the screen as each of these versions hit the theaters. It’s pretty bad when fans become jaded enough to become satisfied with the Will Smith “flick” from last year. Talk about settling – it’s akin to giving up on your dream girl and taking home the only female willing to say yes.
This book is a must for any true Richard Matheson fan. Why? A few reasons.
1 - It contains the Uncensored, original script Matheson penned for Hammer Films
2 - Enclosed is the letter from the studio detailing why said script was rejected and was too violent, disrespectful (to God and others), and other idiotic reasons.
3 - The Distributor – one of his best stories, period, here shown in a script that would be an amazing film, if someone had the balls to shoot it.
4 - Comedy of Terrors, an original tale which is a comedy tale.
5- Finally, the commentary by both Richard and his son, R.C. Matheson, show invaluable insight into these gems as well as the business of Hollywood screwing up a masterpiece by “knowing better.”
Each of these scripts shine in a way most fans of Matheson’s stories could not imagine. His screenplays read simple but do so in a way to fill the mind’s eye with a cinematic view. One could imagine the proper movie version of I Am Legend – why it wasn’t done this time, no one will ever know. The Distributor pretty much resonates too closely to Stephen King’s Needful Things but much, much better and in a short story. Matheson’s nondescript main character rings more authentic as the embodiment of evil but without the cartoonish mannerisms of Max Von Sydow. The characters in both neighborhoods stand out and live as true as the people next door and one can easily picture them acting the way they do. It’s suburbia gone bad, but only because the sheer plastic veneer is stripped from their personalities. In the script, Matheson colors these characters in dimensions that dwarf the story version. Finally, the Comedy Of Terrors sequel is both funny as hell and sad in that for once, Hollywood didn’t kill the project – life did. The actors he wrote it for dropped like dominoes and as a labor of love, it couldn’t survive in his vision. Maybe someday, someone will find other “right” actors. Then again, it could be another laugher like Omega Man.
Recommended for anyone who appreciates Matheson. One can only imagine what could’ve, and should’ve been with these stories.
-- Dave Simms
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Lurker In The Lobby A Guide To The Cinema Of H.P. Lovecraft, by Andrew Miliore and John Strysik; Night Shade Books, 2006; 341 pgs; $19.95
I love me some H.P. Lovecraft. I also love horror movies, but unlike chocolate and peanut butter, the stories of HPL and fright flicks are two great tastes that only very seldom go great together. Chances are if a movie begins with “H.P. Lovecraft’s” then you’re going to be disappointed. Sure there are exceptions to this, Re-Animator jumps to mind, but for the most part the exceptions only prove the rule because of their rarity. However there are great movies based on the ideas and themes of Lovecraft that aren’t necessarily adaptations of his actual stories, not to mention short films and television shows, yet many of these are incognito or just plain hard to find. Luckily for all us Cthulhuheads, Andrew Miliore and John Strysik did the hard work for us with their informative, comprehensive, and pretty darn funny; Lurker in the Lobby.
Naturally the duo covers the film versions of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories. From the well known like From Beyond and the Re-Animator series to the adaptations that have gone unnoticed, such as The Curse (from the 80s and staring Wil Wheaton) to Die Monster Die (from the 60s and staring Boris Karloff), both of which are based on the same story, “The Colour out of Space”. The films that have heavy Lovecraft overtones, like John Carpenter’s remake of The Thing, not to mention his later In the Mouth of Madness, are naturally in the book but then so are those that just have tenuous connections to HPL’s cosmic horror mythology like Hellboy and the British Quatermass films. Even movies that have just a dash of Lovecraft flavor like the original Alien and Lifeforce get the full coverage treatment, as do odd foreign films like the insanely bizarre Uzumaki from Japan, the gore drenched The Beyond by Italian horror master Lucio Fulci, and even the sex filled, tentacle-rape-fest carton from Japan called Mystery of the Necronomicon that thankfully has nothing to do with Lovecraft other than name dropping his most famous fictitious tome.
In addition to the feature films, the authors tackle television of a Lovecraftian nature. Yes the episodes of Night Gallery inspired by Lovecraft like “Cool Air” and “Pickman’s Model” are in the book, but so too are lesser known TV shows like an episode of the kid’s carton, The Real Ghostbusters called “The Collect Call of Cthulhu” and the lost somewhere in syndication anthology show from the early nineties, Monsters with an episode based on Frank Belknap Long’s story “The Space Eaters”. Additionally the authors went above and beyond the call of Cthulhu…I mean duty, by even writing a chapter devoted to the independent short films that are usually only seen at film festivals. To round out the book there’s a photo and concept art gallery and interviews with the actors and directors of some of the films previously covered such as John Carpenter, Roger Corman, Jeffrey Combs, and Stuart Gordon.
Lurker in the Lobby is a great book for cinephiles, be they Lovecraft fans or not. Of course, having an appreciation for the works of HPL would add to the enjoyment. I mean, his name is in the title, but I guess that goes without saying, so just imagine I didn’t say it. Get this book now for a fun, weird, Cthulhu good time and give me an “Ia Ia Lovecraft movies fhtagn!” while you’re at it.
-- Brian M. Sammons
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Kutter by Jeff Strand, Cargo Cult Publishing, 2009; 83 pgs; $85.00
Jeff Strand’ new novella, Kutter, is a “good news/bad news” proposition. The “good” news is that it is a rather rare occasion when a reviewer encounters a piece of writing so brilliant, so exceptional, so utterly breathtaking, that the reviewer feels compelled to recommend the title without reservation to all potential readers – Kutter is one of these rare finds. I’ll explain in greater detail what makes the book a “must read” shortly, but first must point out the “bad news:” the entire run of Cargo Cult Press’s hardcover limited edition has already been sold out, and only a few of the deluxe, lettered edition remain unsold as of this date. While this is no doubt good news for Brian Cartwright and Cargo Cult Press, plus all those who managed to purchase copies of the book, it is very unfortunate for the many people who will thusly not be in a position to be able to read and enjoy this brilliant work. It is to be hoped that perhaps a larger run of a less expensive trade softcover edition will find its way to market, as this novella certainly ranks as deserving of such treatment.
Author Jeff Strand is rightly well known for his unique talent in successfully combining elements of grisly horror and clever, and often laugh-out-loud humor within his works, be they short fiction, novellas, or novels. What is perhaps less well known is this same author’s talent in writing straight, dramatic horror fiction that gracefully combines potent action elements with deeply nuanced and empathetic character development. (Check out the author’s previously published novels Pressure, currently available in softcover, and The Haunted Forest Tour, co-written with James A. Moore as examples). While such works are never totally devoid of the author’s mischievous and brilliantly satiric sense of humor, the humor contained within these works are incidental to the story, as opposed to being an integral component thereof, as in the case in many of his other books. Kutter is a novella that in yet another of author Strand’s “serious” works, though one might fairly suppose that it is one of his intentionally humorous works based upon a brief plot description, and is arguably his most refined and compelling piece of writing published to date.
Kutter introduces readers to protagonist Charlie Stanlon. Charlie is a forty-two year old guy, quiet and introverted, who works in a boring, pedestrian job, is unmarried and lives alone, and is a bit overweight, though not obese. Charlie had a rough childhood; never knew his real parents and has lost touch with his first set of foster parents. One day, Charlie finds an abandoned Boston Terrier puppy in a park in the middle of winter. Charlie isn’t exactly an animal or dog lover, has never owned a pet, and initially passes the little dog by. However, his utterly un-altruistic passing recollection that the breed is somewhat valuable and thus he might be able to obtain a decent reward from a grateful owner grants the dog at least a momentary reprieve, and Charlie soon finds out just what it means to own a dog. Oh, one other little thing about Charlie … he is a sick, twisted, sadist – a particularly nasty serial killer, who has been kidnapping women for years. He likes to torture them and inflict pain, and revels in seeing how long he can keep each victim alive and suffering. He actually is moved to tears when his latest victim just “gives up” and dies a mere nine hours into what he’d envisioned as at least a week’s worth of “entertainment.” Author Strand pulls no punches, he makes certain that readers know just how vile and despicable a monster Charlie Stanlon is right from the beginning of the novella. As a dog owner for the past 35+ years, I can also assure you all that Strand’s presentation and description of the little dog and it’s actions, as well as the various trials and tribulations Charlie discovers to be part of owning a dog, are completely realistic and true-to-life, and have not been either idealized or otherwise made unrealistic. The author has been very careful to not anthropomorphize the dog and give it human-like motivations or otherwise grant to a canine some human-like characteristics that are unrealistic. The dog here acts just like a real dog would, no more and no less.
It is thus all the more an amazing and adept piece of writing and authorial skill that manages to take a totally loathsome, reprehensible piece of human garbage such as Charlie, and gradually, as the story progresses, find more than a bit of redemptive humanity buried deep within even this bastion of evil. By the end of the novella, even the most jaded among you will feel compassion and possibly some pity for Charlie Stanlon. Strand manages to realistically convey the therapeutic and even redemptive power that owning a pet, and particularly as here, a dog, can have upon any human being, even the most seemingly evil, consciousless, and unredemptive of our species.
I read the novella straight through in a single sitting, being unable to tear myself away from the story as it unfolded before my eyes. I believe that it would and will have a similar effect and impact upon all who read it. It is one of the finest pieces of long fiction I’ve read within the past five years. If ever there was a piece of fiction that deserves to be read by people everywhere, this is it. Indeed, this should find its way to the required reading list of many university and even high school creative writing courses. Kudos to Brian Cartwright and Cargo Cult Press for publishing this incredible novella, and to author Jeff Strand, my congratulation, thanks, and a standing ovation for having created such a masterpiece. If you can manage to locate a copy of Kutter, by all means do so, as I sense numerous awards in its future. For the vast majority who will be unable to obtain a copy of either Cargo Cult Press’s limited of lettered editions, I am hopeful that a future, reasonably-priced softcover edition of this work will be published in the near future – make sure to keep an eye out for it as Kutter is an amazing read.
-- Norman L. Rubenstein
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The Bleeding Edge edited by William F. Nolan and Jason V Brock, Cycatrix Press and Dark Discoveries; 2009; 288 pgs; $65.00 [pre-order for $55.00 at www.JaSunni.com/shop]
This anthology of weird stories from Dark Discoveries spans a time period stretching all the way back to Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicle days to the present. And aside from the stories, it also includes a few scripts, and one essay dealing with the collection of weird magazines. The varied content in the anthology works to its favor as each contribution is unique and there is no danger of being bored from redundancy. And while it could be argued that almost all dark fiction published is by its nature weird anyway, the majority of these contributions more than adequately live up to the appellation.
For most readers, anthologies can be hit or miss no matter the theme, but this reviewer found The Bleeding Edge to be exceptional. The most enjoyable contributions in the anthology however came from some unexpected sources, which always makes reading these types books that much more fun.
The highlight of the anthology, and the one that is truly the “weirdest” contribution in the book, is called ‘Triptych: Three Bon Bon’s’, by Christopher Colon. It consists of three very short fictional pieces that, with a neutral voice, offers descriptions of three separate weird occurrences. The first piece, about a family whose patriarch has died, must make a decision on which “part” of him they should reanimate for a keepsake. The second piece, the best tale in the whole book, tells the story about how unexpectedly, numbers start appearing on women’s foreheads all over the world. And when Colon reveals what the numbers mean, readers will find themselves shocked, then either amused or extremely agitated depending on the readers gender. The last piece is about a village where its elders decided to install a skating rink that turns progressively dangerous.
Other highlights include; a action oriented script called ‘Omnivore’, by Dan O’Bannon that is about insects that come out of the ground and attack a small group of people; a breathtaking tribute to Lovecraft by Gary Braunbeck called ‘A Certain Disquieting Darkness’; a tale of giant spiders by Lisa Morton called ‘Silk City’; an extremely erotic tale focusing on a bi-sexual Goth woman titled, ‘Hope And The Maiden’ by Nancy Kilpatrick; a ghost story featuring quite a malicious acting spirit called ‘Just A Suggestion’ by John Shirley; and a bizarre tale of young girls and the beasts they ride by Cody Goodfellow called ‘At The Riding School’.
There are over twenty contributions in this anthology, and though there are too many to comment on here, it should be noted that even the ones not mentioned above are also worth reading. The remaining contributions range from the truly weird, straight out horror, an essay, and two more scripts, one of which is from the Twilight Zone series. In the forward it’s claimed that none of these contributions have been previously published and all have a 2009 copyright date (this reviewer does however remember seeing a different version of the Twilight Zone script on television many years ago).
While all of the contributions in The Bleeding Edge are curious reads, they are wonderfully entertaining. Readers of weird fiction and horror should be more than delighted by all of the contributions, and like this reviewer, readers will find themselves seeking out more work by those author’s whose stories they deemed to be highlights in the book. The Bleeding Edge is highly recommended to horror and dark fiction readers who are entertained by darkly humorous, edgy, and very unusually plotted fiction.
--T. T. Zuma
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OLD MAN SCRATCH by Rio Youers, PS Publishing; 58 pgs; $20.00
One of the rewards of reading small-press books is the joy of discovery: Picking up a book by someone you've never heard of, and not only learning that you've got yourself one hell of a good read, but that you've also found yourself a favorite new Author....a name to watch. Someone with real talent that you can't wait to watch them grow into. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does, look out. I've had that feeling a handful of times in the years I've been reading small-press Horror.....Brian Keene's The Rising, Kealan Patrick Burke's The Turtle Boy, James Newman's Midnight Rain.....I got that same feeling reading Rio Youers' Old Man Scratch.
Youer's story is deceptively simple: Johnny Gregson and his Wife, Melinda, are trying to live out their golden years in peace and quiet. A peace and quiet that is shattered every day at 5 A.M. by their neighbor, a vile old man named Hill "Scratch" Clayton. Scratch is out there at 5 every morning, firing up his John Deere riding mower in a relentless quest to keep his lawn a "Regulation three inches!"....Johnny and Melinda go from surprise to annoyance to anger, their repeated requests for some kind of compromise to their new neighbor seeming, at first, to fall on deaf ears. Until they realize that Scratch is enjoying the fact that his mowing is causing such them distress.....
Old Man Scratch explores territory that will be very familiar to anyone who has ever found themselves in conflict with their neighbor before. The Gregson/Scratch conflict follows the usual path of escalation....Polite requests, shouting matches, threats, physical violence....until Melinda is diagnosed with a terminal illness, and Scratch spitefully refuses Johnny's request to let her live out her last days peacefully. Which pushes the peaceful, and slightly cowardly, Johnny to take extreme action........
Youers does a beautiful job of getting the reader into the heads of the feuding Seniors, as well as bringing the love between Johnny and Melinda to vivid life. Johnny, Melinda, and Scratch are as real as they would be if they lived next door to you. Which makes the horrific events at the books conclusion even more effective.
Old Man Scratch is one of those rare books that you can't stop thinking about after you put it down...I also couldn't stop recommending it to friends. Rio Youers is the real deal, and I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with next.
-- Dan Reilly
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Fresh Blood Stories by Dave Alexander, Kelli Dunlap, Bob Freeman, Burning Effigy Press; 2009; 41 pgs; $8.00
Burning Effigy Press has put together three stories by up and coming authors Alexander, Dunlap and Freeman.
Growth Spurts by Dave Alexander tells the story of Kendall who is not ready to grow up; unfortunately the creature inside him has other plans. Left for Dead by Kelli Dunlap is a revenge tale that has unexpected consequences for the perpetrator and his victim and the final story, Mourn Not the Sleepless Children by Bob Freeman is a dark and brooding gothic horror tale set in the Scottish Highlands that was my favorite of the collection.
To give more information on each story would entail spoilers so I leave you with this, all three tales were well told and show talent and a promise of great things to come from these three authors.
Recommended.
--Angela Bennett
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Evil: Spine-Tingling True Stories Of Murder And Mayhemby Colin Wilson & Damon Wilson, Hammond World Atlas; 2009; 192 pgs; $19.99
Colin Wilson, a British lecturer and radio and TV personality has a passion for studying the strange, the criminal, and the occult. His son, Damon, inherited the same fascinations and together they have written two beautiful, weird, and sometimes unsettling books. This one, aptly titled Evil, is all about murder of the most notorious nature. Subjects range from the famous assassinations of Julius Caesar, President Lincoln, and Archduke Ferdinand (the murder that helped ignite World War One) to the historically heinous, such as Gilles de Rais, AKA Bluebeard, Vlad the Impaler, AKA Dracula, and the man who is arguably America’s first serial killer; H.H. Holmes.
Speaking of serial killers, the modern monsters that seem to capture everyone’s imagination, this book is chock full of them. Infamous ghouls such as Gacy, Ramirez, and Bundy and naturally covered, but then so too are lesser known madmen like John Collins, a college coed killer from my home state of Michigan, and Dr. Harold Shipman, who’s name may not be famous but he very well could be the most prolific mass murderer of them all with as many as 215 to 260 murders over a span of twenty three years. And yes, even Jack the Ripper is covered.
Old Saucy Jack leads us to the last part of the book, the eternally unsolved cold cases. Here Jack is joined by Lizzie Borden (of “forty whacks” fame) and the almost identically named Jack the Stripper, a murderer in mid-sixties England that removed the clothes of his prostitute victims before sending them down the Thames River. There are even some rather obscure and odd cases added to the list. One that stands out is a shark in a Sydney, Australian aquarium that vomited out a severed arm in the 1930s. What makes that odd…ok, odder, is that the arm wasn’t bitten off, but cut off with a knife. When Jaws could be packing a butcher knife you know things have officially gotten strange.
The arm-spewing-shark story is a good example of why this book is so weirdly wonderful. While there are many encyclopedias of serial killers, few have the depth and wide range as Evil. Ivan the Terrible, the Unabomber, the Manson Family, the Aum Shinrikyo cult that gassed the Tokyo subways in 1995, the death of Napoleon, Al Capone, the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, London’s infamous Kray brothers, notorious drug dealer Pablo Escobar, these are just some of the varied topics covered in this book and that list could easily keep on going. Essentially if something evil happened, there’s a good chance it’s covered in Evil.
Lastly it must be said that this book is simply handsome (because “beautiful” is too nice of a word for such evil things). Each entry is accompanied by a many photos, illustrations, and maps. Most of these are in color, some are in historic black and white. These illustrations accompany boxed out sections of text, each highlighting a specific part of the tale they’re telling. Truly, learning about unspeakable evil has never been easier, entertaining, or eye catching as it is in Evil.
-- Brian M. Sammons
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STRANGE: TRUE STORIES OF THE MYSTERIOUS AND BIZARREby Colin Wilson & Damon Wilson, Hammond World Atlas; 2009; 192 pgs; $19.99
Father and son writing team, Colin and Damon Wilson indulge their love of the weird with Strange, a book that fully explores all things…well strange. But just how strange, you may ask. Well starting with the ancient, team Wilson ponders the question of could the French in the Stone Age actually have discovered America before anyone else. They delve into the history of the recently discovered “hobbit people” remains found in Indonesia in 2004. Even the famous death curse of the pharos goes under the microscope.
Mysterious people from history are likewise examined. There are the familiar questions like who was Jack the Ripper and did Robin Hood really exist, but then there are mysteries that I never even knew existed. Did Joan of Arc return from the dead? Could the works of Shakespeare really have been written by Francis Bacon?
From people to monsters, all the usual spooky suspects get rounded up. Vampires, werewolves, the Loch Ness monster, zombies, ghosts, Bigfoot, fairies, aliens, and all sorts of creepy crawlers are covered. Are you more a fan of mysterious places like the Bermuda Triangle, Atlantis, and the lost colony of Roanoke? Well then don’t worry those and many others like them are also covered,
Perhaps my personal favorite mysteries are those that are not easy to classify. The ghost ship, Mary Celeste and its vanishing crew has always fascinated me. Is the Voynich Manuscript a book as weird, if not as deadly, as the fabled Necronomicon, or is it just an elaborate hoax? What secrets does the French town of Rennes-le-Chateau hold; could it be a link to the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail? These are just a few of my favorite freaky things.
Just like its companion book, Evil, the Wilsons are not content to let their words alone tell the story. Each entry is accompanied by many photos, illustrations, and maps making the book as much a visual experience as it is a cerebral one.
Strange is the bazaar of the bizarre. From the ancient to the modern, from monsters to cosmic mysteries and all things in between, if you have ever wondered about any of mankind’s most remarkable mysteries, chances are good that they’re covered in this book. For a light, fun read and one that’s sure to stir the imagination, any other book would be hard pressed to outdo, or out-odd, Strange.
-- Brian M. Sammons
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Supernatural Tales 16 edited by David Longhorn, Supernatural Tales; 2009; 82 pgs; $ 10.00
Supernatural Tales have been delighting for years fans of dark fiction by providing a choice of elegant, first-class short stories by authors from both sides of the Ocean.
The latest issue of this excellent magazine/anthology confirms the consistently good quality of the tales selected by editor David Longhorn.
My favourite story in the current volume is “Company” by Ray Russell, a little masterpiece of ambiguity and subtlety portraying the nightmarish encounter between a young girl and an ambiguous (nasty or just forgetful?) old lady.
In the excellent “Old Boy” William I I Read describes how the return to a boarding school revives forgotten terrors from childhood, while with “Adoptagrave” Jane Jakeman contributes a clever vignette where a girl is cajoled to take care of a neglected grave in a country’s churchyard.
Jim Steel intrigues and disquiets with “Red Christmas”, in which old war secrets are behind anonymous Christmas cards showing up year after year.
In Gary Fry’s enjoyable “The Night Watchman”, featuring a group of cricket players, blackmail leads to murder and murder to ghostly revenge.
Less convincing are Michael Chrislett’s “The Coast Guard”, a long, confusing tale revolving around a red haired girl wandering on the Baltic coast , and “Trouble with the Hob” the umpteenth “Chimaera” story by Tina Rath.
Book reviews by the Editor and a short essay on Gerald Kersch by Colin Westney complete the appetizing menu.
-- Mario Guslandi
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The Black Act by Louise Bohmer, Library Of Horror Press; 2009; 240 pgs; $15.95
In her “Author’s Note” that prefaces her novel, Louise Bohmer clearly states that she began work upon her novel The Black Act as an experiment: could she write a plausible fictional mythology? Ms. Bohmer goes on to make certain that all readers of her novel know exactly what she meant by this and what she was striving for by utilizing both Tolkein’s Lord Of The Rings and H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthulhu /Elder Gods & Old Ones Mythos as specific examples of successful and plausible fictional mythologies.
Considering the huge shoes that Ms. Bohmer strives to fill, substantial kudos are due her in that the answer found within the pages of her novel to that most important question that she poses for herself is a resounding affirmative. The Black Act is an extremely well-conceived and executed effort in mythological world/universe building that not only accomplishes these most difficult of goals, but does so while managing to also provide an entertaining read as well.
The very detailed world that author Bohmer has created within The Dark Act owes obvious and acknowledged relationship and rapport with portions of Celtic mythology. Bohmer’s version of earth is one where the Fae have a direct, living connection with the planet itself and draw both natural and magical powers from it. They have lived, for the past approximately millennium in a sometimes uneasy alliance with humankind. They took pity upon the wandering nomadic clans of humans about one thousand years ago and offered to them a beautiful, permanent homeland along with the knowledge of how to farm and live off the land, as well as great strides in medicine and general learning. At this historic time the Fae had given these nameless clans of humans a national/social identity by naming them the Dalthwein, the People of Dala, where Dala seems to represent a one true goddess, a sentience of the planet itself, a kindly, “green,” “Mother-Earth/Gaia” kind of god. However, there existed as this time a single tyrant king of one particular bloodline of the wandering clans, the McCleods, who refused to accept such name and showed rudeness and defiance by so doing. This stubborn hatred of the Fae was then subsequently passed down and drilled into each and every male in and of the McCleod bloodline ever since, with eventually tragic results. The Fae are wise, creatures of animate bone, dirt, wood, and spiritual essence. They are almost, though not quite completely, invulnerable, and similarly can live for almost unimaginably long times, though they are subject to withering, a malaise that has certain parallels to human aging. They are imbued with magic spirits and are extremely powerful creatures. While they are non warlike and do not seek to rule over humanity, neither are the Fae total pacifists nor by no means harmless. They both live with and teach humanity, but also, in conjunction with selected humans, sit upon a governing council that rules over the lands. They mete out justice that can be swift, brutal, and deadly.
When the Fae established the Dalthwein peoples they also created a class, a sect of guardians that protect humanity from those men and women that are, or would do evil, the “Wise Women.” These guardians are all “witch women;” young girls who are selected from each village, after examination and discovery, imbued with psychic and magical talents and abilities, who have been trained by both the Fae and the elder generation of the gifted women, in specific schools and settlements set aside strictly for them, similar to an educated class of nuns or priestesses. They learn both mundane knowledge such as reading and writing, and also various magical skills and hone their innate magical abilities.
The author takes this fascinating world and mythology she has so carefully and ingeniously constructed (the book is even accompanied by various maps and charts in the same vein of those found in Tolkein’s Lord Of The Rings) and focuses attention upon two young twenty-one year old twin sisters, witches, members of these “Wise Women,” named Claire and Anna. They are direct descendants of the dread old tyrant king of clan McCleod and they become the twin pivots around which, as is typical for epics of this kind, major historical events of transcendental importance occur. One of the sister’s has a forbidden, secret Fae lover, a satyr or “woodman.” The novel’s title refers to certain acts that are considered so evil that they cannot be forgiven and which are banned. For example, a Wise Woman that steals the essence of a Fae woodsman in order to become pregnant and bear a Halfling child is one such forbidden “Black Act.” Readers of the book will discover that there are other forbidden things that also constitute “Black Acts.” The novel is well plotted, with numerous cliffhangers and interesting plot twists. Vengeful spirits and other supernatural entities certainly are present and provide requisite chills, the plot moves along nicely, and there is a satisfying climax and conclusion to novel’s action as well.
The only cautions, and they are relatively minor, are that with The Black Act coming in at just over three hundred pages, one cannot and should not expect the same sheer depth and/or breath of plot or detail that a work such as Lord Of The Rings contains within it’s over three times longer length. Indeed, The Black Act crams in an amazing amount of detail and back-story for its relatively modest length. Also, those who pick up the novel in contemplation of a work featuring a multitude of huge set-piece battle scenes filled with mayhem and swordplay, blood and carnage, such as in Tolkein’s seminal work, might be a bit disappointed. While The Black Act has plenty of action, the novel is deliberately written in a more intimate and personal manner. There is a different sensibility about this novel that is refreshing and unique. Author Bohmer is adept at drawing with delicate and detailed brushstrokes rather than the broad and aggressive style more commonly displayed in tales inspired by grand, world-building “fictional mythologies.”
Louise Bohmer’s The Black Act is a wonderful example of what a talented, creative author with a deft, light touch can achieve in bringing to life an interesting and inventive world built upon a carefully and detailed integrated mythos developed to a high and fine degree. The underlying world the author creates is fascinating and unique, and she then proceeds to populate it with an equally interesting accumulation of not only different races and species, but, more importantly, with truly appealing individual characters that readers will empathize with, and places them into a storyline that readers will find both captivating and entertaining. The Black Act is a truly praiseworthy, passionate, and provocative novel and highly worth purchasing and reading. After all the care and skill Bohmer displays in creating the world of The Black Act, the novel’s dénouement left me wanting to know and learn even more about the place and the beings who inhabit it, and I certainly hope she revisits this fascinating destination again soon.
--Norman Rubenstein
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Further Accounts of an Imaginary Friend by P.S. Gifford, Virtual Tales; 2009; 208 pgs; $12.95
Most people have enjoyed an imaginary friend. Some use them as excuses – for poor social skills, lack of attention, lonely nights, or in P.S. Gifford’s world, travel agents to the darker side of humanity.
These short tales follow several unfortunate folks in their lives as the tour guide giddily whispers in the reader’s ear. Reminiscent of Twilight Zone at many times with simple situations with ordinary people, these “accounts” often end in thought provoking twists that keep the pages turning. One constant is the way that the everyday man or woman finds the darkness within them, either for good or self-serving, sometimes evil reasons.
These “further accounts” from Gifford harken back to the good old days of suspense and horror without oodles of gore and pointless exercises in character’s mental meanderings that plague many a bad short story. These accounts focus on the plot and the actions of the character which give credence to each tale.
Follow the voice speaking these dark stories into the night. A fun, intriguing romp.
-- Dave Simms
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The Living Dead edited by John Joseph Adams, Night Shade Books, 2008; 486 pgs; $15.95
Zombies, zombies, zombies. It seems like every other week I’m writing a review beginning with those three words. Ok, that single word repeated three times, but does that mean that the zombie sub-genre is reaching the overplayed point? Well that could be argued, but I just happed to love the roving, rotting, Romero offspring. Even years ago when zombies were all but forgotten and all the cool kids were into vampires, I still preferred my undead to be slow moving and gut munching. Therefore I’ll always be an easy mark for books on zombies, but when an anthology is a good as this one is, it does make by shame over my necro-addiction a bit easier to bear.
Editor John Joseph Adams has put together a great collection of some of the best zombie tales by some of the biggest names. The always amazing Dan Simmons starts things off and shows off his considerable talents with his, “This Year’s Class Picture”. Clive Barker tells the tale of the undead in showbiz with “Sex, Death and Starshine”. The King himself, as in Stephen, shows us what happens to a small island community when Star Wormwood is on the rise in “Home Delivery”. Joe. R. Lansdale’s “Deadman’s Road” was not the zombie story by him that I was expecting to see in this collection, but that is not to take anything away from this tale, only that it was a nice surprise. Joe Hill, an author I grow more a fan of with everything I read by him, gives us “Bobby Conroy Comes Back From the Dead”, an oddly touching romance set against the backdrop of the filming of George Romero’s classic movie, Dawn of the Dead. Even the one non-reprint in the anthology (by an author I wasn’t familiar with, but after reading this I hope to change that), a story called “How the Day Runs Down” by John Langan, was a great tale where the stage play Our Town meets Night of the Living Dead.
I could keep on going cataloging stories that I loved, or abbreviate things a bit and list some of the amazing authors in this anthology, like George R.R. Martin, Poppy Z. Brite, David J. Schow, Douglas E. Winter, Harlan Ellison, Neil Gaiman, Laurell K. Hamilton, and many more. Or I could make things really short and just say that if you love zombies then this is the book for you. The Living Dead collects some of the best, most memorable zombie stories from countless sources. It has ghouls a la Romero, original voodoo zombies, the undead brought back by science and black magic, and every kind of flesh eater in between. This collection of creepy corpse tales is a one stop fix for all you fellow necro-addicts.
-- Brian M. Sammons
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Festive Fear: A Collection of Dark Tales edited by Steve Clark, Tasmaniac Publications; 2009; 198 pgs; $ 15.95
When Festive Fear: A Collection of Dark Tales arrived on my doorstep Thanksgiving Eve, I picked it up with the intention of reading only a few stories that evening and then stretching the rest out until Christmas day. Its funny how things work out sometimes… after picking this anthology up, I didn’t put it down again until late that night, and only after I finished the last story.
This collection of very dark Christmas tales comes to us from the “land down under” and all its contributors are based in Australia. And while I’ve learned that there are many similarities between North America and Australia when it comes to this festive season, there are some differences. The biggest of which, is the climate. During Christmas in Australia, the sun beats down hot and there isn’t a snowflake to be found. With this in mind, readers in the northern portions of the world should be prepared for a Christmas reading experience that, from the start, will be way out of the ordinary.
Festive Fear’s introductory story, Christmas Lights”, starts off the anthology with an emotional punch (and I admit to it being my favorite story in the book). This tale by Brett McBean about a brush fire on Christmas Eve that is slowly creeping towards a young woman’s home is a powerful piece that will set you to feeling genuine grief for its characters, and leave your soul feeling empty after its conclusion. It is also one of the few stories in the novel that does not deal with a supernatural occurrence or the horrors of violence.
The follow up to McBean’s story is another heart wrenching tale, this time about an entity called Black Peter, who could best be described as the Anti-Claus. As the legend goes, unless Black Peter can be stopped, he will roam a township each year around Christmas time and abduct young children and force them into his black sack. After which, they will never be seen again. Marty Young, the author of this tale called ‘Black Peter’, takes us on a journey where we follow along with a young boy named Sam, whose friend has been taken by Black Peter.
There are many other highlights in the anthology worth mentioning. Amanda Spedding’s, ‘A Creature Was Stirring’, is a pulse pounding tale about a creature that lives under a woman’s new home, a creature that can chew through wood and feeds on flesh. Felicity Dowker’s, ‘The Bearded Ones’, is a tale of revenge that answers that age old question of what Santa brings to those who are naughty and not nice. In ‘Santa’s Little Bitch’, Mark Farrugia presents a tale of a man forced to do a dead prostitute’s bidding after failing to fulfill a promise made to her on her deathbed. Danielle Ferries, ‘Little Drummer Girl’, lets us in on what happens when a woman discovers that her boyfriend isn’t quite ready to let go of his mommy’s apron strings. And in Leigh Haig’s, Christmas Breakdown’, we get a violent tale detailing the attack on a young couple whose van has broke down in the Australian bush.
The highlight for many readers will be Steve Gerlach’s, ‘White Christmas’, a tale that is as brutal as it is deranged. Gore fans should consider this story their very own special Christmas present as Gerlach has penned a tale that is as disturbing and disgusting as it gets. I wasn’t prepared for this story of extreme horror and found myself pausing often in disbelief at what I was reading… (to tell you the truth, I am not a fan of this type of hardcore horror and it really bothered me). For those who love Ed Lee’s or Wrath’s type of horror fiction, Gerlach’s story should be very pleasing, but for those who have trouble sleeping at night after reading hardcore horror, it might be best if you skipped over this one.
There are a total of 14 stories in this collection of dark Christmas tales, and they are varied enough in style and content so that most readers will find many, if not the majority, to their liking. As I mentioned earlier, since these tales take place a world away from most of us, part of the enjoyment of these stories is learning some interesting facts about a new country and picking up some of its slang. For instance, though I never found out what it is, I did learn from reading these stories that one should never buy or bring an ESKY with them while visiting Australia, as no good will come of it. Every character in every story with an ESKY in it, and there were several…met with a horrible death.
Congratulations are in order to Stephen Clark, the editor of Festive Fear for putting together this fine collection of dark tales centering on the Christmas season. As I understand it, Steve is preparing Festive Fear 2 for 2010, and the next anthology is open to submissions from around the world. Let’s hope that readers of Festive Fear are on the ground floor of a new tradition, that in the coming years we continue to see new issues released in this series. And then, we would have an opportunity to discover if other countries have their own version of the deadly ESKY!
I highly recommend sitting back, grabbing a can of beer or a bottle of wine from the cooler, and then picking up Festive Fear for some great Yuletide horror reading. Who would have guessed that Christmas could be the most frightening time of the year?
-- T. T. Zuma
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Batman Gotham After Midnight written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Kelley Jones, DC Comics; 288 pgs; $19.99
I love the supernatural tales of Batman that come out from time to time. The recent collection Batman—Vampire, for example, and the Superman/Batman title Superman and Batman vs. Vampires and Werewolves. Good stuff. In the mainstream DC continuity you usually see more science fiction than supernatural horror, at least as far as Batman is concerned, so these special series side-steps are always a delight. Batman—Gotham After Midnight is one of the latest entries in the subgenre. Written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Kelley Jones, the book collects all twelve issues of the recent maxi-series from 2008-2009. The supernatural elements introduced early on are really a dodge in this one, but still, the tone of the story is very creepshowish and that spells sweet goodness to the last drop.
Batman is up to his cowl in crime, as usual, but lately the villains have been acting a bit out of the ordinary. Instead of the expected crimes for profit or hate, old foes like The Scarecrow and Axeman are more interested in mystical artifacts. The criminals are out of sorts in other ways, too, and Batman suspects someone else is pulling strings from behind the scenes. Of course, he is right. Through the twelve issues of the series, Batman runs through the typical rogues gallery in pursuit of the main baddie, Midnight, who keeps tearing hearts out all over town. While the final issue is excessively expository, the writing overall is crisp and swift. The artwork is flat, angular, blocky, and thin. You could also call it sharp. Colored in lumps with a minimum of shading, the style is simple and direct, putting down the ideas in rapid blasts. Taken as one, Gotham After Midnight works well and is worth a look.
--Wayne Edwards
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No Doors, No Windows by Joe Schreiber, Del Rey Books; 2009; 274 pgs; $14.00
In the 1970’s and 80’s, there was some pretty powerful pieces of horror fiction featuring haunted houses that were written that have gone on to become classics. Novels such as The Legend of Hell House (Richard Matheson), The Haunting of Hill House (Shirley Jackson), and Stephen King’s, The Shining are all great examples from that era. In the ensuing years, many other authors have contributed to this sub-genre including notable authors Sarah Langan (Audrey’s Door), and Mark Z. Danielewski (House of Leaves), both of whom, have very successfully contributed a more contemporary slant to the haunted house tale. And now, with No Doors, No Windows, Joe Schreiber has decided to throw his hat into the ring.
Schreiber is best known for his debut novel, Chasing The Dead, a tale of a woman who is forced to do the bidding of a demon in order to save her child. The prose in Chasing the Dead was as lean as could be with out a word wasted; its action oriented plot took precedence over characterization and exposition. And while that muscled style of writing served Chasing The Dead very well, Schreiber has taken the opposite approach in No Doors, No Windows.
No Door’s, No Windows, is chock full of characters that Schreiber has wonderfully explored to revealing depths while simultaneously presenting copious amounts of plot exposition and historical background so readers can fully appreciate the motivations of those characters. This allows the readers an opportunity to form emotional bonds with these characters, crucial in a novel that not only wants us to believe in the supernatural horrors presented to us, but to also understand and accept the frailties of the dysfunctional family that is at the core of Schreiber’s novel.
But in any haunted house story, while the human element is important, it’s only part of the equation. Strong characterization doesn’t mean a thing if the atmosphere and ambiance of the house (or its ghostly occupants) aren’t credible. Fortunately, Schreiber doesn’t stop with just giving us some excellent characterizations, he has also managed to give his haunted house its own distinct, and memorable personality.
Round House, the haunted structure in No Doors, No Windows, is aptly named. There are no angles or corners in the entire house. Everywhere you look there are radiuses, giving the effect that the walls always seem to be closing in on you. And once someone starts to explore the house, it becomes apparent that there are many more rooms in the house than could actually fit. In addition, some of the hallways stretch on longer than the length of the house itself, with some of them concealing rooms that have no obvious entryway. And, there is that one closest in Round House that may have been constructed of a material that is so organically dark, that there is the total absence of light anywhere in its elongated length.
The plotting of No Doors, No Windows, concerns itself with a greeting card writer named Scott, who has come back to his family home in New Hampshire upon his father’s death. His brother Owen, and Owens’s young son Henry, still live in the home, but Scott realizes very quickly that they have fallen on hard times. Shortly before Scott leaves to go back to his home to Seattle, he finds an unfinished manuscript written by his father that was hidden away in a tool shed. After reading the manuscript, Scott is goaded by an irresistible urge, (and an old girl friend), for him to complete the novel. Scott winds up delaying his trip home and renting the Round House for a month where he believes he will have the privacy to finish his father’s book. It is when he takes residence there, attempting to finish the manuscript, when Scott is pulled head first into the horrors of the Round House.
After a difficult start, Scott finally gets to writing, but he soon believes that the book is somehow writing itself. The story that unfolds as he completes the manuscript is one of madness and pure terror. It highlights torturous tales of murder that are connected to a young girl’s disappearance in the 1800’s, and how Scott’s family was involved with her disappearance. An involvement he discovers, that continues to this day.
As mentioned above, Schreiber’s prose in No Doors, No Windows is anything but lean. For instance, the author does an extraordinary job in accurately describing the needle like sting of the cold winter winds, and the deadly, and sometimes silent fury of a Nor Easter blizzard. The wry observations his characters make are not only true to their Yankee nature, but they reflect the isolation and sometimes desolation of the states northern regions (having driven the New Hampshire back country roads all my life, I could only nod my head in agreement when the author has Scott thinking as he is driving back into town, that the drive seems to take longer and longer each day). And, at one point in the novel, Scott is ruminating on his mother’s death when he is struck by the thought that his relationship with his mother had been an unfinished conversation, that in death, she has become much more articulate.
Schreiber succeeds admirably with No Doors, No Windows. The novel is intelligently written, features at the edge of your seat action scenes, and is a page turner from start to finish. And most importantly, it’s scary. So if you’re a sucker for haunted house stories - as this reviewer is - grab hold of No Doors, No Windows and set aside an evening to read it. You should prepare yourself by dressing warmly, and planning to sleep with the lights on. Because when you finish this novel, I dare you to ignore all those bumps you hear in the night.
--T. T. Zuma
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Cursed by Jeremy Shipp Raw Dog Screaming Press; 2009, 218 pgs; $14.95
Jeremy Shipp is a) a talented new writer, b) demented, and c) an advocate for gnomes everywhere. Cursed is a twisted little novel from a delightfully twisted mind, but leaps and bounds from his collection Sheeps And Wolves and first novel Vacation in quality, which is not to belittle those works.
Cursed is 1) a very different mystery, 2) creepy and 3) a damn good book.
Nicholas believes he’s cursed. He’s right. The lists he makes help him keep what little sanity he has left and help the reader keep the bizarre separated from the earthy. Things keep going wrong and he seems to be awaiting the next slap in the face. Usually, it comes from Cicely, the requisite love interest. However, she’s anything but usual. Nobody in this story could be accused of following a standard stereotype. The characters live, breathe, react, feel and are almost too weird, which is a definite rarity these days in horror. Mr. Shipp’s mind definitely doesn’t not reside in the realm of “normal” – which is damn good for readers.
Nick teams up with Cicely, who believes the fate of the world resides in a tennis ball, to seek who the hell cursed them. Their journey brings them to Kin, an old woman who serves as mentor to their detective skills. Ancillary characters fill out the rest of the novel but again, are anything but simple two dimensional caricatures. Abby, the accident prone one lends depth while Gordon, Nick’s blind roommate gives insight (no pun intended) into the world of the sightless while assisting the duo in solving the mystery. Pete is a) malevolent, b) ruthless, and c) having a damn good time antagonizing Nicholas.
For anyone who has read Shipp before, the bizarre is to be expected. What’s unexpected is 1) the quality of the writing, 2) the ingenious plot, and 3) the wit that brings a smile to the face of whoever is lucky enough to read this book.
Definitely recommended for anyone looking for something different but very, very good.
-- Dave Simms
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Demon Days by Richard Finney and D.L. Snell; Ape Entertainment, 2009; 183 pgs; $9.99
Whatever happened to some sympathy for the devil? In the late seventies and early eighties Satan was all the rage. The Omen, The Exorcist, and Rosemary’s Baby, are just a few of the classic stories from that time featuring Old Scratch. But today it’s like the devil pulled his greatest trick, you know the one where he convinced everyone he didn’t exist. Right now if you threw a stick in your local bookstore’s horror section, provided your bookstore still had a horror section, and they allowed you to toss sticks around in it, you’d be more apt to hit a book about ghosts, serial killers, zombies, or vampires than one about Big Daddy Lucifer. Luckily two authors appear to have had a similar thought and so they joined forces to write an old school, end of days novel, but does it do the Price of Darkness justice?
The story begins with the prerequisite old priest and young priest messing around in the Middle East with a satanic book that packs a punch. Jump to a young couple, Tom the artist and Sandy the TV news reporter, on vacation in Hawaii. The two seaming unrelated events are connected by a horrendous helicopter crash that kills poor Tom…but not for long. Tom comes back to life after a Near Death Experience a changed man. He is convinced that he has seen the “Angel of Light” and that he now has holy work to do. But this being a horror novel, you can bet that things won’t be that easy, or angelic. Soon Sandy notices strange behavior in Tom and this piques her reporter instincts so she begins to investigate other cases of people coming back from N.D.E.s changed. Joining her in that quest is the old priest from the Middle East, who happens to be a friend of Sandy’s. Will having a holy warrior backing her up, albeit an old, blind one, allow Sandy to figure things out before she loses Tom, not to mention a whole lot more? Who is the mysterious Angel of Light that’s setting so many pawns in play and for what purpose? Why are people coming back from the dead acting and eventually looking so creepy? Only time, and of course reading this book, will tell.
Demon Days covers all the hits of hell. There are possessed children, crucifixes that bleed holy oils, demonic doggies, cryptic prophecies, evil old ladies, and diabolical ambulance drivers with way too much plastic surgery. Ok, maybe that last one isn’t a “hit” but it’s still creepy and it illustrates that this book is more than a completed checklist of how to write a satanic novel. The characters are well fleshed out, believable, and you care about them. While there are a few twists and turns the reader may see coming, there are many more that achieve their desired shocks and surprises. Authors Finney and Snell take the old antichrist tropes and utilize them, but they put their own spin on most making them fresh again. Further I really enjoyed the brisk writing style of Finney & Snell and I hope they do another superhero-like team up soon. If it’s been a long time since you’ve danced with the devil in the pale moonlight then I highly recommend Demon Days.
-- Brian M. Sammons
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Reign In Hell written by Keith Giffen, DC Comics; 256 pgs; $19.99
Everything about the idea of the comic Reign In Hell appeals to me. The story is about a war in hell and the characters are some of my mystical favorites from DC: Deadman, Dr. Fate, Etrigan, and Shadowpact, a team of magically tinted ne’er-do-wells who first showed up in one of the lead-ins to DC’s epic crossover event Infinite Crisis a few years back. This all looks great. So why don’t I like it better?
Lots of reasons. For one thing, it is very densely written, so much so that it becomes boring at times. Even though I am particularly interested in the subject and the characters, I almost stopped reading it in the third issue (of eight) because my eyes kept slamming shut. If I hadn’t agreed in advance to write a review I would have jumped ship. Tension never really builds and the characterizations, even of familiar characters, are uninspired. Then there is the artwork. Cluttered with heavy black lines and minimal texturing it comes across as not-yet-finished sketches. Art is subjective so anyone reading this might find the illustrations just fine or even exceptional. For me, they fell flat. The layout feels claustrophobic and uncomfortably tight. Overall the series is not that memorable.
Nevertheless, there are a number of things to recommend the book. For one thing, there is a lot in the package as it includes the entire Reign In Hell series and the parallel Dr. Occult vignettes. If you are a Shadowpact fan (like me) sad to see the demise of that title, then you have to read this book. If you are a big hell fan (like me), then you have to read this book. But if you are a middle of the road graphic novel person then you should probably flip through a copy in a bookstore to make sure this is what you think it is before you plunk down your twenty bucks.
Buyer beware.
--Wayne Edwards
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Mystery Hill by Alex Irvine, PS Publishing; 2009; 96 pgs; $19.20
From the mind of A Scattering Of Jades and The Narrows comes a novella from the exceptional PS Publishing. If the reader can open the cover with an unbiased view, Mystery Hill will likely be enjoyed as a fun experience. Whereas the previously mentioned titles ran into mysterious, deep waters, this romp skims across a puddle, albeit an enjoyable puddle.
Any story whose setting is a roadside miniature golf course where a change in gravity brings out the fruit loops all over the place is one to settle back with a smile. Vietnam vet Ken Kassarjian enjoys the attention that his attraction brings, replete with the crazies, scientists, and curious teens from all over who seek the truth behind the real estate he bought on a whim. However, when he’s not chasing kids off the mysterious 17th green where players lose balance or nutty women from scaling his fence, he collects odd specimens found around his property. He believes something odd truly is happening and with a sexy young scientist nipping at his heels, his life becomes just a bit more interesting. She noticed the strange road kill that many tourists add to – something a local drug dealer takes advantage of in a hallucinogenic potion made from the turtle-like creatures.
While Mystery Hill doesn’t reach for the same levels that A Scattering Of Jades achieved, it’s still a fun read. Whereas most of his other titles twist the mind into going into new places, this novella will twist the reader’s face into a wide grin.
-- Dave Simms
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Season of Rot by Eric S. Brown, Permuted Press; 2009; 262 pgs; $14.95
Only hardcore zombie lit fans will likely enjoy the five novellas included in Eric S. Brown’s trade paperback entitled Season of Rot from Permuted Press. The rest of the horror community might just as well look to writers like Brian Keene for their zombie fixes.
Some of the stories in “Rot” have a twist, but Brown doesn’t break much new ground in this outing. The first novella, which gives the collection its name, feels derivative of Kim Paffenroth’s novel “Dying to Live,” but for the presence of a cyborg that comes to aid a group of zombie plague survivors holed up in a hospital. “The Queen,” involving survivors aboard an armored cruise ship, could be compared to Keene’s novel “Dead Sea,” with the latter easily blowing the former out of the water. “The Wave” attributes the zombie plague to a mysterious electro-magnetic anomaly that strikes the Earth and forces a group of survivors to take refuge in an underground government facility. “Dead West” involves a 19th Century military campaign against zombies roaming America west of the Mississippi and based on the way the zombies kick butt, readers may be reminded of the title of John Wayne’s movie “The Undefeated.” These first four novellas are standard zombie fare, but for “The Queen,” which features “smart” zombies who are breeding humans for food. Still, that single plot line doesn’t add much to the tale.
The final story, “Rats,” is the greatest departure from the typical zombie tale. The walking dead are not actually the main threat in the story, being relegated to the role of nuisance creatures. In “Rats,” various parts of the world have been taken over by animals—rats, bats, squid, and wolves. In America, the rats are in control and they are being led by seven- and eight-foot-tall demon rats that control the rats and the zombies they use as their cannon fodder. This story also features survivors taking refuge in an underground government complex. Zombie fans won’t appreciate the secondary role of the walking dead in “Rats,” and many will have a difficult time accepting the demons-on-earth story line, assuming they don’t simply laugh out loud at the idea of the earth’s oceans being controlled by super squids.
Lastly, the editing of Season of Rot leaves a lot to be desired, thanks to typos, grammatical errors, and formatting problems sprinkled throughout the book. One of the most glaring errors comes in “Rats,” when a main character’s death is omitted altogether only to be followed by his friends lamenting his death during the battle. Readers will find themselves rereading a half page of text wondering how both the author and the editor let that one slip by.
Season of Rot isn’t a complete waste of time. Author Brown is a good writer and he works hard at setting up his stories, establishing his characters, and writing dialogue. In the end, though, perhaps zombies are simply not his forte.
-- William A. Veselik
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