Horror World Book Reviews
January 2004

HOUSE OF BLOOD By Bryan Smith
Reviewed by David Wilbanks

Leisure Books is known for releasing two horror paperbacks and an occasional hardcover each month. These are treats for those who need a frequent fear fix. The more discerning reader realizes that these books can range from outright stinkers to the heights of the excellent. And I'm happy to report that we can safely place newcomer Bryan Smith's HOUSE OF BLOOD among the more successful efforts.

This novel, a topsy-turvy ride into sickness and atrocity, is good, nasty fun. What begins with the horror movie clichés of troubled young people getting lost (this time in Tennessee mountains) and a man running away from monsters later unfolds into a tale of struggle for precious life and sanity, all with cosmic repercussions. Layers of the mundane are peeled away dropping us into a horrific underworld, and by the time we reach the end of the story, it's fascinating to realize that what could have been just another genre novel became so much more. The main characters are well drawn and their escalating problems keep us interested in their fates throughout their trials until the bloody climax. To reveal more of the story here would spoil the joy of discovery, so let's just say you should be ready for anything and rule out nothing. There's not only titillation and chills within these pages, there's also a bit of awe.

I'd wager disciples of Edward Lee and Bentley Little would feel right at home among the intensity and otherworldliness of HOUSE OF BLOOD. Like Lee and Little, Smith lets his vivid imagination run amuck. But unlike many horror novelists, Smith never loses sight of the whole story and brings this visceral tale of terror, death and debauchery to a satisfying conclusion. I'm sure you'll have this book devoured in no time, as Smith's smooth prose accommodates the reader nicely.

Fans of full-tilt thrills should not hesitate to purchase HOUSE OF BLOOD.

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DEATHREALMS Edited by Stephen Mark Rainey
Review by Mario Guslandi

As the editor points out in his Introduction, this is definitely NOT the best of Deathrealms, the now- defunct magazine. Some of the stories that the editor would have selected had to be discharged because of various reasons: too many previous reprints, excessive length, inability to contact the writers owning the copyright and so on. Thus, in the end, Deathrealms, the anthology, with its fifteen short stories, provides little more than a quick sampling of what Deathrealms, the magazine, has been to horror fans for a decade.

Having made this point clear, it seems to me, however, that the editor's pick has not been particularly fortunate and certainly doesn't do justice to a magazine that lasted 31 issues, featuring hundreds of stories. Frankly, the reason why some stories have been included in the present book is beyond my comprehension. If selecting "the best" was an impossible task, then why bother at all to gather an anthology which does not reflect the quality of the legendary magazine?

So, let's pretend this is a stand-alone horror anthology, the merits of which have to be judged as such. My personal rule is that an anthology can be favourably considered if more than 50% of the stories are good. Actually I enjoyed eight out of fifteen stories, so this book has passed my little test. The eight tales to be praised are the following.

Jeffrey Osier's "Don't Clean the Aquarium!" is a delightful story of unexpected horror taking place, as the tell-tale title suggests, in an aquarium.

In Ken Wisman's "On The Side Of The Road" - a tale with a SF touch- a country road becomes the hunting ground for mutants and monsters.

Elizabeth Massie ("Smoothpicks") effectively reports the strange happenings occurring in a mental institution where alternative medicine brings about tragedy.

With "A Pinch Of Snuff" William R. Trotter provides a little masterpiece of erotic horror, where the eternal embrace between sex and death becomes a frightening reality even for an expert connoisseur.

"Now You Know" by Donald Burleson is a nasty vignette about an old lady who loves cats too much, while Jeff VanderMeer's "Welcome To The Mask" is a chilling tale of revenge featuring an "ordinary" monster stepping inside a crowded bar.

Scott Thomas contributes with an excellent , engrossing piece of fiction ("Photos Of A Leg") starting up as a crime story, going on as a classical whodunit and ending up on the SF side.

Finally Rick Kleffel skilfully creates a veritable, unforgettable nightmare featuring a man unsuccessfully trying to favourably impress a girlfriend, a cat killed in a car accident and a mysterious, disgusting disease.

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WATCHERS: CULLODEN! by William Meikle
Reviewed by David Wilbanks

"It is 1745 and the Boy-King, Charles Edward Stuart, has come to claim the throne of Britain as his blood-right. He has brought an army with him, a dark army of blood drinkers."

And there's plenty of blood-drinking in this last installment of William Meikle's Watchers series entitled Culloden!, from Black Death Books.

This saga concerns Martin and Sean, two Watchers--guardians of Hadrian's Wall, which marks the northernmost border of Roman Britain, and their quest to rid England of the Boy-King and his army of vampires and human thralls. In addition to causing an evil war, the vampire king has abducted Mary, the daughter of the watchers' friend, Campbell. Mary is to give birth to the Boy-King's heir, unless Sean, who has fallen for Mary, can stop the vampires from completing this dark ritual. To top it all off, Martin and Sean must deal with the dark beasts that crave dominance within themselves.

Culloden! is a horror version of the events leading up to the controversial eighteenth century battle. The author heightens the intensity of the battle scenes by presenting them from Martin's perspective, which places the reader in the center of the gore and muck as the vampire hordes attempt to breach England's innovative defenses. In addition to the fighting, horror-lovers will discover much else here that is enticing, including magical wood-folk, Baphomet the vampire god, a mysterious alchemist, a castle that literally drips blood and other strange and gory tidbits. There's even tall tales, bawdy drinking songs and rousing war chants to keep things lively.

Readers should be pleased when they experience Meikle's quick-paced plotting and creative invention. The author is relentless; just when you catch your breath, something new and exciting happens, sending you spinning into another part of the adventure, and keeping you flipping pages to see what's next. If you haven't read the first two books in the series, The Coming of the King and The Battle for the Throne, you've missed out on a lot of the story and should catch up before reading Culloden. You will find it well worth your time. Check the Internet for e-stores that carry the WATCHERS trilogy, or go directly to Black Death Books to order.

Then grab yourself a tankard of ale, pull a chair near the fire, and lose yourself in this dark fantasy from Scottish author William Meikle.

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