Horror World Book Reviews
February, 2008

 

A WHISPER OF SOUTHERN LIGHTS by Tim Lebbon
Review by Mark Justice

Third in his Assassin series, A Whisper Of Southern Lights moves Tim Lebbon’s immortal characters to the Pacific Theater of the Second World War, following installments set in the old west and in the Caribbean pirate era.

Temple is a demon assassin who murdered the family of Gabriel centuries ago. Garbiel, now immortal, pursues Temple through the years, seeking revenge.

Lebbon changes the formula this time around by adding a character named Jack Sykes, a British soldier who has been captured by the Japanese. Jack’s story is told in first person via chapters that alternate with Gabriel’s viewpoint.

Both Gabriel and Temple are searching for Sykes, for he has information that could perhaps lead to the destruction of Temple. Sykes isn’t aware of this. His focus is staying alive while being held by his brutish Japanese captors.

In the end, the hunt for Sykes will lead both Temple and Gabriel to a secret that will rock this series, and add fuel to an already high-powered narrative.

Speaking of narrative, Lebbon’s prose is both lean when it needs to be and perfectly descriptive when it comes to the scenes of war and the atrocities committed by the Japanese soldiers. This is a quick read, one easily sucked down in a single setting. The story carries in it a sense of bleak inevitability that stayed with this reader well after the final page was turned.

Necessary Evil Press

* * * * * *

TRIAGE By Jack Ketchum, Richard Laymon, Edward Lee
Review by David Simms

When I first read this trio of stories five years ago, I felt privileged the be one of the few who held the limited edition, mostly due to the unique collection of “on the edge” horror writers who made a living crossing lines and forgetting what the term “boundaries” meant. I didn't take the time to enjoy each tale as it rightfully should. Thankfully, once again, Leisure has unearthed a treasure that most of the horror world has not enjoyed.

The concept was simple: collaborate on a story from a simple premise. A mystery psycho would enter the workplace and target someone who had no idea why – originated by Laymon, whose novels are often based on such simplicity but then twist and wrench into something the reader never envisioned. Of course, even the plan got turned around. What you have here are three separate stories, each beginning with that simple idea, but where they go with it are very, very different.

Richard Laymon opens up with the titular tale, “Triage,” a fun, savage romp through the corporate world. When Sharon hears that phone call, “I'm coming to get you,” her world explodes and she spends the remainder of the pages trying to survive. Laymon’s sleek prose enlivens the action and dialogue while creating interesting characters.

Ketchum’s “Sheep Meadow Story” is the quietest of the group, but still intrigues. A struggling writer who is a delight to follow through a pretty awful day, this story feels almost leisurely, but that’s what makes the second half so rewarding.

Yet the real treat comes from Edward Lee who has a reputation, and well deserved, as a writer whose writing and plots live on the razor’s edge. Many expect gory scenes, sex, and more blood in a fun, unique work. “In The Year Of Our Lord:2202,” Lee uses that common starter sentence as a jumping off point – and where does he land? Outer space two hundred years from now in a society run by religion. Sound different than typical Lee? It is, but it’s probably the most unique sci-fi horror tale I've read in a long time. Sure, there’s sex and blood, but it’s his plot, characters, and vision that carry his part of the trio into a new dimension – literally.

I couldn't recommend this more to a horror fan.

Leisure

* * * * * *

DARK HOLLOW By Brian Keene
Review by Steven Wedel

Over the past several years, Brian Keene has given us some unforgettable tales. Zombies, bank robbers, giant worms, zombies, and ghouls have filled the pages of his books and thrilled his legion of readers. This time out, Keene takes on the satyr and Appalachian folk magic in his latest novel DARK HOLLOW (Leisure Books, Feb. 2008). What he’s really done, though, is write the best book of his career to date.

Adam Senft is a mystery writer in his late 30s. His life is pretty good, except for the fact he and his wife have no children. Two pregnancies ended in miscarriages for Adam and his wife, and severely cooled the relationship they had in the bedroom. Then, one fine morning, Adam witnesses his attractive neighbor enthusiastically performing fellatio on a stone statue of a satyr. You know the satyr, right? The goat-man? But this isn’t C.S. Lewis’s Mr. Tumnus. (Tumnus was a faun.) The satyr, named Hylinus, comes to life and begins assembling a little harem of townswomen seduced by the playing of his shepherd’s pipe. Soon enough, Hylinus is after Adam’s wife. Adam and his friends set off to figure out who Hylinus is, where he came from, and how they can get rid of him. They learn the satyr was summoned in the 1980s by a farmer worried about his crop. The problem, though, is that when you go messing with magic, something is bound to go wrong, and it did for Nelson LeHorn, who was able to temporarily stop the satyr, but it cost him his wife and family. Adam is hoping he’ll have better luck.

Keene ’s writing is tight, his pace fast and his characters completely believable. As usual, it is his characters that really draw the reader in. You can’t help but identify with and care about Keene’s story people. In DARK HOLLOW, Keene is at the top of his game, crafting a tale that is dark, spooky, at times humorous or sad, and definitely memorable. Like THE RISING, this is a story that will stick with the reader long after the last page is read.

Leisure

* * * * * *

WORDS WRITTEN BACKWARDS by Gemma Files
Review by Ron Dickie

It’s deep winter in Algonquin Bay and a storm is coming in. Something deep underground is poisoning the land. Sent by Rez elders to investigate, Shaman for hire Joe Tulugaak finds more than he bargained for in the form of a half-frozen teenage girl named Judy Kiss. Together, they will face more than just the elements in their struggle to stay alive.

Touching on old myths from various cultures, IHG award-winner Gemma Files weaves a short, tight tale illustrating the evil that humans, and things that aren’t quite human, can do, all the while creating a few myths of her own.

Told with the confidence of a seasoned writer, Files draws us in quickly with her sparse but effective prose, and teases us with enough hints to make the reader flip the pages faster and faster until all is revealed. And when the full story is told and all the answers revealed, it will make your head spin.

An enjoyable, well-told, and thoroughly engaging exercise in myth-building, Words Spelled Backwards is highly recommended. The story will chill you as if you

Were there in the storm alongside the characters, but when you’re done, you’ll be thankful you weren’t!

Burning Effigy Press

* * * * * *

KILL WHITEY by Brian Keene
Review by Mark Justice

Brian Keene continues to explore his own unique subsection of the horror genre, an area we’ll call blue collar horror. More than any writer working today, Keene navigates the working-man’s world like a true native, creating characters and settings that ring true. We’ve been to those bars and driven past those empty shopping centers and felt that existential despair that comes from staring at a lifetime stuck in a dead end job and a crappy one bedroom apartment.

In Kill Whitey, the blue collar man is Larry Gibson. Larry works the overnight shift at a shipping service (think FedEx) in rural Pennsylvania with buddies Daryl, Jesse and Yul. In their off-hours the guys drink, listen to metal and say “True that.”

As the novel begins, a power outage gives the four an unexpected night off, which they choose to spend at a strip club. The Odessa is run by a scary Russian named Whitey. But the person that catches Larry’s is a beautiful stripper called Sondra. Larry’s fascination with Sondra soon becomes an obsession, and he spends every available moment at the Odessa, watching her dance.

When Larry finds a battered and bruised Sondra hiding under his Jeep, a chain of events is set in motion that will prove deadly to Larry and his friends, and force Larry to kill Whitey. But that’s a job that proves to be difficult. Almost supernaturally difficult, you might say.

The resulting story takes place over the course of a few hours and races across nearly 300 pages. This is the most adrenaline-fueled novel of Keene’s career. It’s also a return to the horror-noir territory the author first explored in Terminal. And make no mistake: in addition to its blue-collar horror roots this is a crime novel, with all the trappings of classic noir -- a desperate loser willing to do anything for the woman he thinks he loves, the beautiful femme fatale, and a simple plan (protect the girl from the mobster) that goes horribly wrong.

Besides the fans of Keene, and horror in general, Kill Whitey (one of the great titles of all time) should also appeal to fans of Tom Piccirilli, Ken Bruen, Allan Guthrie, Wade Miller and – appropriately enough – Day Keene.

Watching a writer grow and refine his talent is a lot of fun. With Kill Whitey, Keene is operating at the top of his game.

True that.

Cemetery Dance

* * * * * *

CUTS By Richard Laymon
Review by David Simms

Thank God for Leisure and their decision to reissue Richard Laymon’s novels. For years, fans had to scour the internet for British editions for the rollicking tales of horror. Now, everyone here can enjoy what equates to a literary version of the best rides in Disney World (well, if Stephen King & Hugh Hefner signed on as the architects).

Cuts is a welcome addition to the Laymon library. Usually, there exists a protagonist and an villain, sometimes with the good guy getting in touch with his or her darker side for the fun of it. In Cuts, there are NINE major points of view! Yet instead of ending in a train wreck, Laymon engineers a lean, sleek plot between the various people into a cohesive storyline that is quite satisfying. As much a horror novel as macabre dissertation on the social structure of the education system, along with the revolving doors of sex and relationships, the non-murderous characters act almost as disturbing as slice and dice Albert (at least he’s clear about what he wants!) I’m accustomed to a great ride, but zipping through the eyes of those wild, well-drawn characters as slice happy Albert carves up the country on a blood-soaked road trip, left me exhausted – happily.

While not as great as The Traveling Vampire Show or Savage, this novel ranks high on the list. For anyone who hasn’t read Laymon yet, you could do a hell of a lot worse in choosing this title.

Leisure

* * * * * *

THE NUMBER 121 TO PENNSYLVANIA & OTHERS , by Kealan Patrick Burke
Review by Hank Wagner

Consisting of thirteen (how oddly appropriate for a collection of horror stories) short tales and one screenplay (based on one of the short stories, "Mr. Goodnight," in fact), The Number 121 to Pennsylvania & Others is, for the most part, a satisfying and scary read. Although some stories are more successful than others ("Empathy" and "Peekers" are especially well crafted and disquieting), all are quite good, demonstrating exactly why Burke is looked upon so favorably among horror aficionados. Miss it and miss out on one of the best collections to appear in a very long while.

Cemetery Dance

* * * * * *

FALL OUT: THE UNOFFICIAL AND UNAUTHORIZED GUIDE TO THE PRISONER By Alan Stvens and Fione Moore
Review by Ron Dickie

There have been numerous books by numerous people about the cult classic TV show The Prisoner over the past four decades, so why do we need one more? One would think every conceivable detail about the show would have been covered, and they would probably be right. However, there are exceptions.

In the case of Fall Out, the exception is that this is an unauthorized and unofficial account, hence, some of the more, shall we say, unflattering anecdotes are not excised. If you don’t need Patrick McGoohan’s permission to include certain details, it frees up a vast amount of material and allows for more speculation as to some of the star and creator’s actions during and after production. One downside to this, perhaps, is no pictures. What you see on the cover is it. Inside, it’s all text. The reader can determine for themselves if they prefer that method, as there are plenty of other books out there with behind the scenes pictures.

Each of the 17 episodes in the series gets its own detailed examination, with theories as to the thought processes that went into each episode, and in many cases, specific scenes.

While bordering on dry reading at times, as books like this tend to do, the authors’ enthusiasm for the show, and for the ideas present in it, shine through and infect the reader.

All in all, Fall Out is a worthy, informative, and interesting addition to the canon of books examining a TV show that still has people asking question 40 years after it aired. I would recommend this book to old fans of the show who think they’ve read everything there is to read on the subject, but it would also serve as a great introduction to newer fans as well.

Telos Publishing

* * * * * *

SHAPESHIFTER by J. F. Gonzalez
Review by Mark Justice

Mark Wiseman is a werewolf. Not the “when the wolf bane blooms”-Larry Talbot kind. Mark’s lycanthropy is some sort of genetic mutation that manifests in his teens in the middle of a beatdown delivered by the school bully. Suffice it to say that’s the end of the bully’s career.

For years, Mark worked hard to control his animal side. Now, as an adult, he had a job on the night shift in the computer department of a major insurance company. Things were going pretty well until his transformation came on him unexpectedly. Mark gets it under control but not before his change was witnessed by Bernard Roberts, the powerful president and CEO of the company.

Rather than being horrified at Wiseman’s ability, Roberts sees it as an opportunity to get rid of those who threaten his job and wealth. He finds a way to force Wiseman – and his hairy alter-ego – to become his personal assassin.

In Shapeshifter, Gonzalez spins an unconventional werewolf story, stripping the myth of supernatural tropes and rendering Wiseman’s curse as akin to a congenital disease.

After a somewhat traditional prologue, the novel quickly veers into unexpected territory, melding the plight of Wiseman with a plot about corporate greed and murder. The two storylines shouldn’t work, but Gonzalez pulls it off.

Shapeshifter is essentially a crime novel, albeit one that stars the wolfman. It’s a quick and quirky read that will add to Gonzalez’s growing legion of fans.

Lesiure

* * * * * *

LEFT IN THE DARK THE SUPERNATURAL FICTION OF JOHN GORDON by John Gordon & THE DAMP CHAMBER AND OTHER BAD PLACE by Frank Chigas
Review by Norm Rubenstein

I recently received two hardcover books for review from Medusa Press. I must admit that I’d never heard of either the books’ publisher, Medusa Press in California, nor of the books’ two authors, John Gordon and Frank Chigas. I therefore, as I began to read the books, while keeping an open mind, admit that I approached the task with a slight amount of trepidation. However, and quite literally, within no more than the initial two pages of each book’s first story, any uncertainty that I’d felt disappeared.

The books, themselves, are of very nice quality, utilizing high quality paper, Smyth sewn bindings, and interesting artwork. Each book comes in a limited, unsigned edition of 500, plus a special signed edition of only 50. The only, mild, suggestion I’d have concerning the design and execution of the books themselves would be with the size of the otherwise handsome font found in The Damp Chamber as being just a bit small for middle-aged eyes, when attempting to read for a long period.

However, it is the content of the books that make these titles noteworthy. Each book is a compilation of short fiction and novelettes by the respective authors.

Left In The Dark collects thirty (30) stories by British author John Gordon. Mr. Gordon has had a literary career spanning forty years now, and is the author of fifteen novels and over fifty short stories. John Gordon is a very accomplished and polished writer. Based upon the quality of the thirty stories collected in this book, he should be far better known to those of us readers of supernatural fiction here in the USA. Each story is a gem and they are all truly among the finest, most atmospheric, shudder-some tales I’ve read in many a year. These are the type of stories well suited to being read upon a winter’s night, curled up by a fire, if possible, and with a beverage of choice close by. For any readers who like ghost stories and scary supernatural tales written with style and real talent, Left In The Dark will be a real “find” and a cause for genuine celebration.

The Damp Chamer collects nineteen (19) tales of terror, including the title novelette, by San Francisco-based author Frank Chigas, and includes chillingly atmospheric accompanying art by the author. As with Left In The Dark and its author, John Gordon, The Damp Chamber demonstrates the talent and authority with language displayed by author Chigas. Again, each story contained within the collection is a worthwhile read and none of the stories are less than satisfying. Everything I’ve already said about the Gordon book above applies equally to the Chigas collection volume. They are two really wonderful “finds” and made for some of the more satisfyingly spooky reading this reader has indulged in for quite some time.

Medusa Press

* * * * * *

TATTERED SOULS Edited by Frank J. Hutton
Review by Patricia Snodgrass

Once again, Cutting Block Press presents us with another outstanding collection of short, cheerfully creepy tales guaranteed to make your nights a little more sleepless. Tattered Souls, Volume One delivers six short stories that will, if not, give you goose flesh, will certainly make you think disturbing thoughts. Editor Frank J. Hutton does an outstanding job of compiling these little tales. Each of them is engaging and interesting—totally creepy—and thought provoking. The styles are clear and concise and the pacing flows wonderfully from one story to the next.

The Monkey Skin Cloak, by Jeff Crook is a wickedly erotic little tale about a wife, husband and friends of a big game hunter are out on safari. At dusk, the driver accidentally runs over a native woman wearing nothing but a monkey skin cloak. What they don’t yet realize is that the cloak possesses the wearer, and turns her into a lustful, horrifying creature. Stanci, the wife, may or may not remember what happened, and the story has a wonderfully ambiguous ending. Neither you nor the characters in the story know exactly what is to become of Stanci after her possession.

Then next story is a gruesome little tale entitled Other People by Richard Wright. Set in England, Richard introduces us to several people who reside in the same apartment complex, each has a bizarre obsession and a desire to end their suffering in macabre ways. Ironically named Samuel Candy, an obese man living in the ground floor flat, kills himself by binge eating. It’s like watching a train wreck in slow motion. It put me off my feed for several days after reading it.

Then there’s Naiomi Martin, a nymphomaniac who does herself in by performing a macabre sexual experiment. Dr. Nicholas Hunter, an athlete at the dusk of his youth, ingests what he believes is the perfect food…himself.

And last of all, but certainly one of the most bizarre is little Bernadette Anderson, an obsessive/compulsive neat freak who sterilizes herself in the most gruesome way.

The End of Flesh by Matt Wallace introduces us to a disturbing dystopian world where Detective Jon Pacson must solve a murder involving a gruesome cannibalistic act. His journey takes him into the heart of an underground cannibal society preying on the city’s denizens simply because there’s no longer any meat.

Clipped Dirty Wings by M.E. Palmer involves a gothy boy contemplating the remains of his life, which isn’t long because he owes the mob money. He meets a young woman, who might be an angel, a goddess or just another goth girl trying to muddle through a dark and frightening world.

Drool, by Chris Reed, is an extremely weird (and perhaps the most disturbing of the lot) story about a man who works in a laundry. His obsession for a little girl he sees on the streets one afternoon while going to work becomes a dangerous delusion when a cut on his head begins to speak.

And finally there’s Terminal Condition, by Chris Ryan, a sordid little tale where police officers run afoul of a strange man.

All of these stories are top quality, guaranteed to give you a shudder or two. Certainly, after reading Other People, you’ll never look at your dishwasher in the same way again.

I loved Tattered Souls, and I think you will too. It’s a great winter read.

Cutting Block Press

 

 

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