Horror World Book Reviews
June, 2009
**Please note. Reviews posted herein are copyrighted and are the exclusive property of Horror World. You may not reproduce any reviews in whole or in part without the express permission of Horror World. Please contact the webmaster with any requests. Thank you.**
* * * * * * *
The Shimmer by David Morrell, Vanguard Press, July 2009, 352 pps $25.95
The latest from thriller writer Morrell is a fast-paced, multi-layered story that will please fans of his previous novels and bring him a legion of new readers.
Texas cop Dan Page comes home one day to find his wife is gone. She leaves a note saying she is visiting her mother, but when she doesn’t arrive Page searches for her. He eventually tracks her to the small town of Rostov, where Tori Page has come to relive a childhood memory. When she was small, her family stopped in Rostov and Tori witnessed the miraculous sight of floating lights in the night sky. The lights are an unexplained phenomenon that has been reported since the 1800s. Some viewers claim to have been changed by the lights, while others can’t even see the glowing sight. Tori can see them, and her husband eventually sees them, too.
Page also learns that his wife has been keeping a secret from him, and that the marriage he has taken for granted is in danger of collapsing.
While joining a crowd of tourists that has traveled to view the lights, Page and Tori are witness to a tragedy, as a crazed gunman opens fire on the crowd, killing several people. The event draws the attention of both the media and a covert government agency. The town is quickly overrun by satellite trucks, gawkers and desperate pilgrims seeking cures.
The military has been studying the Rostov lights for decades, determined to find a way to weaponize the phenomenon. One officer in particular has a personal stake in the lights, and he travels to Rostov to personally oversee the project.
Page is determined to discover the source of the lights, not just to satisfy his curiosity. He also senses that it is vital to his marriage, as well.
The lights are getting stronger, and before The Shimmer ends, the mysterious spectacle will change the lives of everyone they touch.
As always, Morrell writes in a clear, deceptively simple style that somehow manages to deliver a ton of information on his characters and setting without ever bogging down the story. Fans of last year’s The Spy Who Came From Christmas already know that Morrell can deliver the action with a hint of spirituality, and he’s done it again here. The Shimmer is a techno-thriller with humanity.
In an afterword, the author explains that Rostov is based on Marfa, Texas, the actual home of the unexplained lights.
While a few readers may grumble because Morrell has not delivered another Rambo novel, the majority will no doubt be captivated by THE Shimmer. No one else writes like David Morrell.
-- Mark Justice
* * * * * *
Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 Edited by Ellen Datlow, ROC Books/Penguin Group, April, 2009, 436 pages, $16.00 –Trade
The Science Fiction And Fantasy Writers Of America (SFFWA) was founded back in 1965 and currently has over one thousand members. The membership votes upon and annually awards the Nebula Award for achievement in a number of different categories, and each year, for the past forty-three years, an annual Anthology has been published that celebrates this distinguished award winners and contains the award winning stories and novellas and novel excerpts, along with some of the nominated finalists. This year’s anthology is no exception, and is filled with over four hundred pages of fantastic science fiction and fantasy fiction from 2008, along with additional essays and information about the SFFWA, the Nebula Awards, the 2008 Nebula Award Final Ballot and more.
The 2008 Nebula Award finalists and winners whose award-caliber fiction and/or essays appear within this fantastic anthology include authors: Ted Chiang, Karen Fowler, Barry Malzberg, David Levine, Michael Chabon, Jane Yolen, Rich Ristow, Lucius Shepard, Tim Lucas, Kim Newman, Michael Moorcock, Ellen Asher, Nancy Kress, and Joe Landsdale, among many others. Kudos are, as usual, due to editor Ellen Datlow who nimbly intermixes some of the finest science fiction and fantasy writing to appear in print over the past year with engaging guest essays that examine topics ranging from the year in film, to whether science fiction as a genre is now “finished,” or if and what future it has, to why one writes fiction in these genres, and how “young adult” fantasy and science fiction have revitalized the genres.
Briefly examining a representative portion of the stories included within the anthology is sufficient to explain why this anthology is such a valuable addition to a reader’s library and such a treat to peruse. Ted Chiang’s award winning novelette, “The Merchant And The Alchemist’s Gate,” is an enchanting collection of interrelated, nested tales set in the olden Islamic Empire/Caliphate times in both Cairo and Bagdad and reads like another 101 Arabian Nights, but one that includes time travel and its resulting potential paradoxes. Then there is Karen Jay Fowler’s best short story winning “Always, ” that combines elements of horror and dark fantasy in a “modern realism” style and setting and concerns the reminiscences of the last surviving member of a cult in California that had been founded by charismatic leader, Brother Porter, who promised people, and especially young women, immortality for the sum of five thousand dollars.
Another truly classic and wildly entertaining story is David D. Levine’s nominee for best short story, “Titanium Mike Saves The Day,” that contains five vignettes in reverse chronological order, from centuries in the future back until the immediate future awaiting us within the next few decades, that powerfully and brilliantly demonstrate the power of stories and folk tales to effect and change people’s lives. Then there’s an excerpt from the multi-award winning novel, The Yiddish Policeman’s Union by Michael Chabon. This combination of alternate history tale combined with noir crime/murder mystery fiction is set in Sitka, Alaska where a few million European Jews that had survived the Holocaust and WW2 had been relocated, instead of the creation of the State of Israel. It is now 2077 and population of 3.5 million is about to face an uncertain future, as the Federal District of Sitka is set to revert to the State of Alaska, and protagonist, detective Meyer Landsman, is struggling with a difficult murder case. The novel is a magical combination of Raymond Chandler and Isaac Bashevis Singer and well deserves all the accolades and awards it has received. There are over four hundred pages of superlative short stories, novelettes, novellas, and other fiction, as well as an informative Introduction and fascinating essays and going through them all in detail would almost make a novella in its own right.
The simple, honest fact is that you can open this rather massive anthology to any given story or essay and you will be immediately immersed and fascinated. Each and every included piece of fiction in this anthology is compelling and brilliantly written. It is also worth noting that while the anthology is ostensibly one of science fiction and fantasy, there is such an overlap between genres found in most of the included fiction that the majority of all of the included tales can arguably be included within the horror and/or related dark fantasy genres just as easily. The sure thing is that those who pick up a copy of Nebula Awards Showcase 2009 will find themselves happily entertained and engrossed within a wide range of superb fiction for many, many hours and will experience some of the finest authors and genre fiction to have been produced in 2008.
-- Norman L. Rubenstein
* * * * * *
Martyrs & Monsters, by Robert Dunbar, 2009, www.darkhart.com, 273 pgs., $18.00
In a reflective moment of resignation, one of the characters in Robert Dunbar’s excellent new short story collection, Martyrs & Monsters comes to the realization that “insight can be so unpleasant”. As it turns out, this type of introspection is so pervasive throughout the stories in this release, that it could be considered the unifying theme of the 13 stories in Martyrs & Monsters.
Dunbar populates his fictional worlds with people whose lives are constantly fraught with misfortune. In fact, the majority of his characters typify what even the lower economic classes would label as the dregs of society. Dunbar’s characters are the casualties of a wasted life; prostitutes, paranoids, substance abusers, the forgotten, or the neglected. Dunbar’s characters are those who live in unwelcome corners or take refuge in the shadows, often out of our sight or at the very least banished to our peripheral vision.
In addition, Dunbar’s characters initially may appear as being outwardly simple, transparent, and even stereotypical at times, but in truth, the further we delve into their story, we more we discover the stratum of their lives. And as he slowly peels back these layers for the reader, we find each of them becoming exceedingly convoluted and uglier.
The stories in this collection consist of horrors real and imagined. Vampires, ghosts, sea monsters, and incredibly deadly creatures share these pages with nightmares taken straight from the tabloids. In ‘Getting Wet’, two drug addled losers dispose of a body and we discover that there is no honor among thieves. In his story ‘High Rise’ we read a tale of sacrifice, where we learn how far a young boy will go to save his older brother who is slowly being seduced to death by a dead woman. Living in a house piled with litter and debris, two men form an unlikely friendship that ends badly for one of them as well as the others wife in ‘Explanations’. In ‘Killing Billie’s Boy’s’, we follow along with a young male prostitute in a debauched tale of sex and territorial dominance between two rival occult factions. A man’s paranoia leads him into a savage killing and an unlikely alliance with an old woman, both of whom believe their apartment building has been taken over by aliens in the story, ‘Away’.
And while most of Dunbar’s stories are open ended enough to allow a feeling of dread to continue long after the story is finished, not all of them leave the reader with a feeling of hopelessness or pity for the characters. In the story, ‘The Folly’, Dunbar presents us with an isolated, and formally well to do clan who is forced to do battle with a creature who assaults their once stately, if oddly shaped home. The two female protagonists in this tale not only manage to upstage their male counterparts and survive the carnage, they do it with dignity and wit. And in my favorite story, ‘Saturday Night Fights’, a tale brimming with equal parts action and black humor, a couple of refugee’s from a punk rock band do battle with a creature that won’t let them leave their apartment.
In all of the stories above (and in those not mentioned) there is always a moralistic point to be gleaned, a lesson to be learned, or a figurative mirror for the reader to peer into. Dunbar continually asks us if can anyone can be trusted? And more to the point, can we trust ourselves? But despite the fatalistic nature of these tales, Dunbar occasionally will hint that sometimes a flower will even grow in a dump…and so what if turns out to be only a weed. For readers who prefer their dark fiction atmospheric, thought provoking, and intelligently written, Martyrs & Monsters is highly recommended.
--T. T. Zuma
* * * * * *
I Kill (Io Uccido)by Giorgio Faletti, Baldini Castoldi Dalai Editore Inc, June 2008, 597 pps., $18.96
For FBI agent Frank Ottobre, life seems to have lost all meaning. Not only has he been almost killed by a criminal he was following, but the subsequent trauma has led his marriage to such a critical point, that his wife has committed suicide. Without anything in his mind but waiting for his own death, Frank accepts the suggestion of his old friend commissioner Nicolas Hulot and retreats to Montecarlo, where other than a massive display of opulence, very little happens. That is until the night a stranger calls a local radio during a most successful show hosted by rising star Jean-Loup Verdier and states that “he is one and no one” and that “he kills”. Short after what many consider a prank call, the nightmare begins, as a famous Formula 1 racer and his girlfriend are brutally murdered. Hulot asks Frank to join the investigation as a personal favor and together they set out to stop a madman who tears off his victim’s faces and leaves behind bloody messages that read I Kill.
Faletti is a newcomer to the thriller scene, but he certainly knows how to move in it. In I Kill, his very first novel, he quickly pulls us into the action and manages to hold our attention most of the time. His characters are well built, we get to meet and understand his heroes, but he doesn’t fall into the mistake of making his villain a pop-up killer. Reminiscent of Thomas Harris, we get a very close look at the killer and his motives, at what he has gone through and what he expects. Likewise, Faletti understands the many personal interests that the investigation can generate in different people—after all, nothing ever happens in Montecarlo, and if it does, then the whole world is watching—and so we come across many people trying to save their own behinds.
The story is certainly something we’ve seen before. Harris, Deaver, Connoly, they have all brought us brutal killers, tormented detectives and fast-paced action. Faletti’s setting however, the luxurious Monaco, imbues a degree of exoticism that makes the novel stand out.
A problem I found with this novel is that, as fast-paced as it is, it still feels too long. There are parts, especially towards the end, where the action is halted with several pages that could have probably been reduced, or left out altogether. However this shouldn’t stop you from meeting this new talent, from whom we will certainly hear more. As a matter of fact, two more of his novels, The Third Side of the Eyes and Outside an Evident Fate have already been released and hopefully will be available in other countries soon.
--Cesar Puch
* * * * * *
Sheep And Wolves by Jeremy C. Shipp, Raw Dog Screaming Press, December 2008, 161 pages, $13.95, $24.95-Hardcover
Sheep And Wolves is a collection of seventeen of noted author Jeremy C. Shipp’s tales of short horror and related Bizarro fiction. This collection should be an important must-read for all readers of horror fiction who wish to keep up with where the genre is going and being taken. This is because Jeremy C. Shipp is, at least in relevant part, the future of the horror genre - a Harlan Ellison for the twenty-first century (except, in fairness, Mr. Ellison has never left and is most decidedly still here and still writing.)
Shipp is an awesomely talented author who manages to constantly reinvent the horror genre. He is able to view the genre and it’s accepted paradigms and tropes through a unique and often bleeding edge (sometimes literally) perspective. Thus, the reader never knows just what to expect in and from a Jeremy Shipp story. The mundane becomes remarkable and the commonplace is transformed into the extraordinary. His stories are not to be described, rather they should be experienced. Each story in this collection is unique and idiosyncratic; as unexpected as they are inevitable. The stories are not all necessarily easy reads, but they are all, ultimately, very worthwhile and thought provoking.
For those who love the horror genre and also love to be challenged in their reading and are interested in reading one of the most creative new authorial talents of the new millennium, Sheep And Wolves should definitely appear at the top of their purchase lists and to-be-read piles.
-- Norman L. Rubenstein
* * * * * *
The Rosetta Key by William Dietrich, January, 2009 Harper, 2009, 373 pages, $7.99
William Dietrich is a veteran journalist (and Pulitzer winner) who was, in the early nineties, best known as writer on environmental issues and the environment. After a couple non-fiction books Dietrich turned to fiction and has since produced an impressive number of well-regarded popular novels. His recent books have focused on his character Ethan Gage, a Yankee with a diverse and colorful history who somehow finds himself wrapped up in political intrigue over and over again as the eighteenth century turns into the nineteenth.
In The Rosetta Key, Ethan Gage’s second appearance after Napoleon’s Pyramid, our hero seeks the fabled Book of Thoth. In case it has been a while since your last Egyptian mythology class, the Book of Thoth contains magic spells that would allow the user to do all sorts of nasty things, were said user so inclined. Given that the novel at hand begins immediately after Napoleon’s conquest of Egypt and before his invasion of the Holy Land, guess who wants to get his hands on the book and use it for wicked military advantage. It is a little bit like the Nazis intentions in Raiders of the Lost Ark except with the Book of Thoth rather than the Ark of the Covenant.
It is hard to think of a better backdrop for an adventure novel than the one Dietrich employs. The only drawback is it is set in 1799, which is a good long while ago. How to make it relevant to a contemporary audience? Well, the real trick is not to make it arcane. After all, the adventure and excitement is all around – magic book, invading army, rogue American gambler working for the British. It writes itself. Of course, that’s not quite true. William Dietrich wrote it, and he could have screwed it up in a thousand ways. But he didn’t. His writing is very straightforward as you might expect from a journalist, but it is in no way bland or colorless. Rather, the descriptions are lively and precise, the characters fascinating, and the speculative filling-in of unrecorded bits of the past on par with the masters. These fast-paced books have “movie” written all over them.
Read Napolean’s Pyramid first, then The Rosetta Key, and after that there are at least two more Ethan Gage books waiting for you. Once you get started, it will be hard not to read them all.
-- Wayne Edwards
* * * * * *
The Fourth Black Book Of Horror edited by Charles Black; Mortbury Press, 2009, 228 pages,£ 7.50
By now a cult anthology in the world of the UK horror indie press, The Black Book of Horror returns, for the fourth time, to delight and pleasantly scare the genre aficionados with fifteen brand new stories of dark terror.
Craig Herberton provides a great, appalling start. A strong gothic tale of power and sadism, his “Soup” describes with graphic evidence the deeds of a corrupted, malicious chef. Although now and then rather implausible, the story manages to keep the reader literally nailed to his chair.
In “Words” Paul Finch employs his excellent storytelling ability to develop a bit obscure plot revolving around a widower visiting a forsaken village involved in an antique witch curse.
“A Cry For Help” by Joel Lane is a grim nightmare effectively blending urban horrors and private demons, while “Many Happy Returns” by Carl T Ford is a puzzling but extremely dark story of serial murders and long-standing violence conveying a potent sense of horror.
“With deepest sympathy” by Johnny Mains is a delightful, enjoyable story of revenge where a mischievous old lady discloses the dirty secrets of a small village.
Among the cutest contributions I’d like to mention Gary Fray’s “Bad Hair Day”, featuring a snobbish lady receiving an unexpected service by her new hairstylist and Gary McMahon’s “Love is in the air”, a brief, quite funny piece exploring unpredictable sex oddities.
More solid horror is provided by Daniel McGachey in “And Still Those Screams Resound...” ,a beautiful, captivating tale starting out as a traditional ghost story set in a haunted mansion to become a study of human foolishness turning into sheer evil.
Reggie Oliver contributes “The Head”, yet another splendid story told in a smooth narrative style, depicting the fatal bond between a smart driver and an old art critic and their unfulfilled deal.
My own favorite is David A Sutton’s “Dead Water” in which a bird watching trip ends up in tragedy for two friends vacationing in France. Graced by a very elegant prose the story is even more terrifying because dealing with the natural horrors lurking in the countryside.
Thus, most of the stories assembled in the present volume nicely hit the target, establishing once again this anthology series as one of the very best currently around.
--Mario Guslandi
* * * * * *
Hell Hole by Chris Grabenstein, St. Martin’s Minotaur, 2008, 304 pages, $24.95
Hell Hole was not a bad read. It is another (#4) John Ceepak novel, this time utilizing the (alleged) suicide of a soldier as a leaping-off point. Boyle, Ceepak’s foil (as in Holmes and Watson), is along for the ride, too, as in the other books, continuing the branding of the duo for greater commercialization. While, for the most part, the narrative is crisp and bright, the writing and situations are a little on the “aw, garsh fellas” wavelength from time to time but it is not cloyingly excessive. The author also gets points for not soap-boxing the Iraq angle too much — the political issue is present but I did not come off preachy to me. The sleuthing is unrealistic, but who says it should be? You know the Andrew Vachss Burke novels? Like that. One of the endearing things about yet another Burke novel is the familiarity with the character. Vachss kept it going for more than twenty years (he says now he’s done with Burke but the series had a good, long life). Grabenstein might be going for the same sort of thing with his characters. So far he is off to a good start.
These books are definitely worth a look. I happily recommend any of them if you are not in the mood for something heavy. The next Ceepak mystery, Mind Scrambler, is out in June this year. It promises more of the same. All fans rejoice.
-- Wayne Edwards
* * * * * *
As Fate Would Have It by Michael Louis Calvillo, Bad Moon Books, March 2009, 344pp $50.00 Limited Ed.
It’s the same old love story: Boy loves girl, another girl loves another boy, those two have issues, and finally wind up helping each other out while forging the strongest most romantic love in the universe.
Yeah, but this is no chick-lit novel and I doubt Jennifer Aniston would want to play the lead. The happy endings exist in other books. You see, this boy eats girls and that girl has a serious heroin problem. Each of their significant others feed their unhealthy obsessions. Somehow, I doubt book club moms would be racing to the stores for this one.
That’s okay; plenty of diehard horror fans will. Imagine a cross between Ed Lee and Chuck Palahniuk if you will. There’s enough detail in here to start your own sadistic Betty Crocker cookbook along and put Rachel Ray in a straitjacket. If that’s not appetizing enough to break open this book and take a bite out of Calvillo’s interesting writing.
The story? Montgomery has a taste for the forbidden, spurred on by his girlfriend Liz. Yet he has a soul, or at least a guilty conscience, and aches to stop the killing (preparing, sautéing, serving) and meets up with Ashley, a young angel who rides the white horse, courtesy of her boyfriend, Henry. They have a rough time of kicking the H, tougher than wrestling a Snickers away from the castoffs on The Biggest Loser. Yet when they find each other, sparks fly and horror screams.
Chew on this for awhile. You won’t be disappointed.
--David Simms
* * * * * *
The Undead Kama Sutra by Mario Acevedo, Eos, 2008, 368 pages, $13.95
Hot on the heels of his successful supernatural comedy novels The Nymphos of Rocky Flats and X-Rated Bloodsuckers, Mario Acevedo again plows the dark fertile earth of titillating extravaganza with The Undead Kama Sutra. I am starting to sense an underlying theme in these titles. It is like a comic book crossover. You have elements of comedy, noir, horror, soft pornography (mainly in the title), and science fiction all between the same book covers. More for your money.
The plot. Believe me when I write the details do not really matter. Vampires. Aliens. Random pages from The Undead Kama Sutra. With these elements does it make any genuine difference upon which heel the plot pivots? Not at all. The writing is peppy and light. Not so much a rapid-fire machine gun rattling of pithy witticisms as a happy little popcorn popper churning out the yummy bits of goodness. It puts you somewhat in mind of Christopher Moore but Acevedo is not going for Moore’s depth. Think about that for a minute. And I do not mean the comparison as a deprecating remark toward the author at hand. I endeavor only to characterize. The short chapters keep you distracted on a regular basis as you keep on turning the pages. In fact, the experience of reading Acevedo has a vaguely addictive flavor to it. I suspect a virus.
This novel is exactly the kind of book you need for airplane travel or a train ride or the intermittent downtime of disconnected waiting room hopping you experience every time you visit your favorite medical professional. While it is a very quick read, you can, if necessary, put the book down and pick it up again later without missing a beat even if days (and maybe weeks) have passed. And when you do get done with this one, the author has another on deck. It never ends. Have fun.
-- Wayne Edwards
* * * * * *
Ages of Wonder Edited by Julie R Czerneda & Rob St. Martin, Daw 2009, 312pp $7.99
The world needs another fantasy novel like it needs an Excalibur in the head. It seems that when readers hear the “F” world, the imagination conjures up chainmail, busty damsels, and rejects from the Renaissance fair. When this anthology hit my doorstep, a groan emanated from my innards louder than an orc stomping on an elf.
But I followed through on my mission to keep my honor intact and cracked open the covers. Once I gazed at the table of contents, I knew this was something different and shed my suit of ignorance about fantasy, remembering how cool it could be when it broke free when the stereotypes. Topics like the Age of Antiquity, Age of Sails, The Colonial Age, The Age of Pioneers, The Pre-Modern Age, and The Age Ahead filled my vision and before midnight, I had tumbled through time by at least a thousand years. Mythical creatures, magic, evil, heroes, and history, both true and revisionist fills the pages. Most of the stories are enthralling, mostly because they skip that dreaded suit of armor age. From witches during the earliest times in recorded history to the Ray Bradbury-ish ventures to Mars and Venus, this book lacks nothing in the area of variety.
Give this a try, even if you despise the “F” word.
--David Simms
* * * * * *
Voyeurs Of Death by Shaun Jeffrey, Doorways Publications, August 2007, 131 pages, $14.95
Voyeurs Of Death is a collection of fifteen of British author Shaun Jeffrey’s tales of short horror fiction along with accompanying cover and internal art by the talented artist Zack McCain. The collection represents excellent value for your money in that the only criticism I found with the collection is that the font chosen by the publisher is a bit on the smallish-side so that while the book is certainly legible, those whose eyesight is not the best might find the type a bit of a strain. Conversely, this also means that the book contains more writing than the page count would ordinarily signify.
Shaun Jeffrey is a talented author who proves in this collection that he knows his way around the entirety of the horror genre. The fifteen stories contained within the collection run the gamut from witchcraft and spells through ancient gods and monsters awakened to terrify humanity (or some subset thereof), through ghosts, zombies, and other familiar tropes of the genre. However, Thomas manages to imbue his stories with assorted surprises and contemporary new twists that breathe new life into what might seem at the outset to be standard and well-known situations and/or characters. The book is conducive to both easy quick reads whenever you find yourself with a few minutes to spare with which to read one story, or to reading straight through the entire collection, assuming you have the free time in which to do so. Either way, the stories will keep you intrigued, chilled, and entertained from beginning to end. Voyeurs Of Death offers a great introduction to the contemporary horror fiction of talented author Shaun Jeffrey, and is highly recommended.
-- Norman L. Rubenstein
* * * * * *
Halifax Haunts, by Steve Vernon, Nimbus Publishing, www.nimbus.ca, 2009, 157 pgs., $15.95
When purchasing a non-fiction release, the most a reader could wish for that is that the author achieves a literary hat trick. It is such a rewarding experience when a reader discovers that an author has not only adroitly researched his subject matter and has produced a well written book, but that the author has also taken a great deal of delight in his presentation. In Halifax Haunts: Exploring the City’s Spookiest Spaces, it becomes obvious very early on that the author has met the first two criteria, and as for the third, it’s not hard at all to imagine Steve Vernon chortling with glee as he relates these tales of ghosts haunting and spooky areas located around his old Canadian stomping grounds.
Though Vernon has primarily built his reputation as a horror novelist (Gypsy Blood, Hard Roads, Leftovers), Steve has in the past published two other Canadian based real life haunting non-fiction books which have met with much praise and more than modest sales. In Haunted Harbors: Ghost Stories From Old Nova Scotia, and Wicked Woods: Ghost Stories From New Brunswick (his past two volumes) Vernon’s narrative purposely resembled that of someone telling scary stories around the campfire and they where pretty much a straight re-telling of ghost stories. Whereas in this volume, the author has figuratively donned a Sea Captains Hat and fired up a smoking pipe as he proceeds to walk his readers through the book, almost as if we were accompanying him along on our own individual ghost tour. Vernon’s personal observations and humorous comments are peppered throughout each story putting a more pragmatic and often whimsical slant on each of these tales.
For instance, the story, ‘A Little Gallows Humour’, revolves around the story of Daniel P. Samson, a 49 year old black man with mentally diminished capacity, who while picking berries one March, allegedly killed two young boys. After reciting the facts of the story, Vernon’s take on the tale begins with this simple statement, “I’m not sure what kind of berries you would pick in March…”
The story, ‘The Sergeant In The Well’, presents us with a tale of a military man who disappeared under suspicious circumstances during a fire in a military barracks sometime in the mid 1800’s. Years later, a soldier, while drawing water from a well in those same military barracks, found a severed arm in his bucket. It was concluded after an investigation that it belonged to the missing Sergeant. Vernon goes on to tell the readers that the Sergeant’s ghost has been often seen standing stiffly at attention in the courtyard by the old well. Vernon had me smiling away as he writes, “I rather like that image. I can picture the ghostly sergeant standing with his arm propped over his shoulder like a rifle. Attention! Present Arm!”
The centerpiece of the book, which I believe will be many readers favorite tale, is a story called, ‘The Saladin Massacre’. It’s a tale of mutiny on the high seas and Vernon does a wonderful job in recreating the treacherous action and bringing to life the desperate and despicable characters involved with it. Steve ends the tale wonderfully telling the readers the eventual fate of the mutineers: “They walked heavily and slowly, their souls weighted with fathomless guilt, carrying a hammer, an adze, a maul, and a carpenter’s broad axe… ready for another grim massacre.”
There are a total of 33 stories in this book, all of them dealing with apparitions, haunted dwellings, or just plain spooky things that go bump in the night. So if you get the chance purchase Halifax Haunts, and then on some dark and stormy night, sit down with the lights down low, and let Steve Vernon tell you tell you a tale or two about his old neighborhoods in the ghost laden city of Halifax. There really is nothing like listening to a master story teller who can set your imagination on fire. Halifax Haunts is highly recommended.
--T. T. Zuma
* * * * * *
Black Static #10
As horror mags continue to be born, then die (most times without the community ever reading them) Black Static never flags. Now at issue 10, its quality keeps rising and has reached the levels of the highest classics in terms of stories and information about the genre. Every issue contains quality horror stories from lesser known writers along with one or two “names.” The good news is that the newer writers match up pretty damn well. Interesting, well written article also fill Black Static’s pages and this time, a dissection of “B” movies is targeted. The reviews are timely, as well as short interviews with the current authors (this time the amazing Thomas Ligotti speaks about his work) and DVDs to investigate.
Once again, if you haven’t checked out Black Static yet, please do yourself a favor and do so. Try the back issues. This is the best publication coming from across the pond in a long time.
--David Simms
* * * * * *
MONSTERS WITHIN: The Unofficial And Unauthorized Guide To Doctor Who 2008by Stephen Fames Walker, Telos Publishing Ltd. (U. K.), 2008, 307 pages, $25.95 –Softcover
In the realm of science fiction and horror television series, one of the biggest stories of the first decade of the twenty-first century, and certainly one of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) biggest successes has been the re-introduction/re-imagining/re-launching of the Doctor Who television franchise in 2005. Doctor Who originally ran from 1963-1989. During this “original run” of the series, it was considered a “children’s” show by the BBC and scripted very much accordingly, though it quickly gained a large and ardent adult following in numerous countries, including the United States, where it was shown in over two hundred television markets, mainly on the American PBS network.
When the show was re-launched by the BBC in 2005, while certainly not as ‘adult” and sophisticated as a series such as the Science Fiction Channel’s brilliant and dark re-imagining of the Battlestar Galactica series, this new version of Doctor Who came with more sophisticated and adult-themed scripts as well as far better computerized CGI and other special effects than found in the original run of the series. Indeed, the new series, which has gone through four seasons thus far, along with two actors portraying the central character of “the Doctor” and three different actresses portraying the Doctor’s travelling companion, is a huge international hit, and routinely generates substantially higher ratings than the original series had ever accomplished. In the USA, the series is seen on the Science Fiction Channel as well as on BBC America.
In the recently completed fourth season of the “new” series, popular British actor David Tennant completed his third season portraying the central character of the Doctor, the last surviving member of the race of Time Lords from the now-destroyed planet Gallifry, who is able to travel through time and space in a contraption, the Tardis (Time and Relative Dimension In Space) that, from the outside, looks very much like a small, blue old-fashioned London Police Call Box, and which is significantly bigger on the inside than it is on the outside. He was joined in Season 4 with popular, veteran British comic actress Catherine Tate who played his current travelling companion, the contemporary London resident Donna Noble. However, throughout the season these two central characters were joined by two popular former female “companions” from seasons 1-3: actress Billie Piper, who plays Rose Tyler, as close to a true love interest as the alien Doctor has ever had, and also actress Freema Agyeman, who reprises her role as medical doctor and now UNIT employee Martha Jones. This season also saw the return of the character Captain Jack Harkness portrayed by actor John Barrowman, whose “Captain Jack” was spun off from Doctor Who into the lead of his own successful science fiction series, Torchwood, and also, similarly, actress Elisabeth Sladen who reprises her role from the “original/classic” series of Doctor Who of former companion and investigative journalist Sarah Jane Smith, who likewise saw her character spun off into yet another new series, The Sarah Jane Adventures.
As it’s subtitle suggests, Monsters Within contains a comprehensive guide to virtually anything and everything one might care to know about the recently completed 4th season of the new Doctor Who television series. Author Walker, an acknowledged expert on all things “Doctor Who” and author of numerous books about the television series and the character, exhaustively recounts the season with essays concerning its history, filming, and behind—the-scenes background and anecdotes to full biographies of the main cast and creative team, to complete, detailed credits for each episode and all specials and a comprehensive episode guide to each and every episode comprising the show’s fourth season. Then the author adds numerous appendices delving into such things as the ratings and rankings for each episode’s original British airing, and lists of original fiction such as novels and comic strips published during the time in question relating to the series and its characters.
This is the fourth volume in a continuing series of books covering each season of the new Doctor Who television series. There are many things here to please both the casual viewer as well as the committed fan. The author has strong opinions about the various scripts as well as the cast and guest actors and the creative/production team and does nothing to hide his opinions, though he does make certain to try and mention differing points-of-view. For anyone seeking to familiarize themselves with the history of the new series, these books would prove an invaluable resource. Also for those committed fans who cannot get enough of the series and enjoy learning about all the little things that occurred in the course of filming and while the series was being marketed and promoted, Monsters Within makes for enjoyable and fascinating reading. While for some, merely viewing the episodes on television and/or on DVD will be sufficient exposure to the series. For those wanting or needing more, Monsters Within provides a thorough, entertaining, and even provocative compendium of information.
-- Norman L. Rubenstein
* * * * * *
An Evil Guest by Gene Wolfe, Tor, 2008, 301 pages, $25.95
Gene Wolfe’s writing career stretches back into the 1950s. Since then he has published more than 200 short stories, more than three dozen novels, a long list of poems, and even more essays and letters. He has won numerous writing awards, including the Nebula Award and the World Fantasy Award (several times). When I think of Wolfe’s work I always think of The Book of the New Sun novels, especially, perhaps inexplicably, The Claw of the Conciliator, but he has written four different novel series (if you count the Solar Cycle as one) and many stand-alone novels as well. He is a true, undisputed master of science fiction and fantasy.
An Evil Guest is a horror novel according to the dust jacket flap and that description surprised me a bit at first because much of Wolfe’s recent work has been fantasy-oriented (The Wizard, The Knight, Pirate Freedom). Things cleared up for me right away, from the first page: “…on Earth, this guest was known as Gideon Chase.” Ah, I thought to myself, science fiction. That doesn’t really catch it either. Still, “horror” seems peculiar even with all the “horrific” elements but I guess bookstores have to know what shelf to put it on so you have to call it something. The story takes place on a future and apparently alternate Earth where vast, brooding, Lovecraftian wickedness swirls just below the surface. Our heroine, Cassie Casey, not only has a funny name but she has big problems to boot. Hooking up with the aforementioned Mr. Chase (not exclusively) she seems initially to be a bit of an opportunist. Mainly, though, she comes off as naïve, but that could be because of the dialogue which has a distinctly 1930s feel to it. Wolfe’s writing tends to be a touch more challenging than the genre standard so the juxtaposition of romance, 1930s noir, and an alternate future reality comes from his hand as a matter of course. Cassie has a rough time, to be sure, and suffers more than heroines often do. The resolution leaves you feeling a bit withered, feeling her pain, and strangely hopeful.
Even after all these decades, and all the words he has already put down on paper, Gene Wolfe continues to craft elegant, complex stories that are thoroughly satisfying. An Evil Guest is no exception. This novel is worth every minute you spend with it.
Recommended.
-- Wayne Edwards
* * * * * *
Rudyard Kipling's Tales Of Horror & Fantasy, Pegasus Books, November 2009, pp. 785, $16.95 ca.
Rudyard Kipling's Tales Of Horror & Fantasy is a thick collection of short stories of all kinds, ghosts, gods, demons, and other strange anomalies. There are forty eight stories and two poems in this book. It's a mixed bag of sorts, four science fiction stories, one romance between two drug addicts (seriously).
"The Dream of Duncan Parrenness" tells of a protagonist confronting his own doppleganger.
"The City Of Dreadful Night" is a bleak tale of horror where one ever ventures too close to the city where the dead dwell. The horrifying possibilities if one gets trapped and never returns to the land of the living.
"The Mark Of the Beast" is the classic tale of lycanthropy and pagan curses. Woe betides anyone who dares disrespect the gods. Just ask the leper priest making trilling noises like that of the cat in agony. Witness the man's slow transformation into some nameless beast.
"A Matter of Fact", "With The Night Mail: a Story of 2000AD", and "As Easy As ABC: A Story of 2150AD" are all science fiction tales. I had trouble following "With The Night Mail" with all the technology described in it. "As Easy As ABC" is a much better story, definitely comparable to classic Ray Bradbury stories. It's all about crowd control, without killing them of course.
"The Knife and The Naked Chalk" tells a tale of how primitive people acquired the metal material to make a knife in order to drive out the beasts and other wolves that plagued man for generations. This one can be compared to that of Lord Dunsany when he wrote about the primitive pagans of ancient times.
"The Joker" tells of what happens when you play a game of poker with the Devil.
There are so many stories in this tome, but these are just the highlights worthy of mention.
Kipling writes in a straightforward prose, with nothing flowery or fancy. His characters are three dimensional all around in every story. He keeps and maintains the interest of his readers until he is finished Check this out. It is strongly recommended.
-- Steve Middaugh
* * * * * *
Previous reviews now appear in the Archives
