Horror
World Book Reviews
March, 2006
KING
OF SOULS by Brian Knight
Reviewed by Matthew Craig
Jim
Stamper is a man with little left to live for. When we
first meet the central character of Brian Knight's latest
novella, he's a lonely alcoholic whose daughter has been
missing for five years, and whose wife left him as a result
of the child's disappearance. Roused from a drink-fuelled
slumber by a phone call from someone who sounds like his
daughter, Jim starts on a course of action that will lead
him through a nightmare to Johnny Junk and the King of
Souls.
The
scene set in Brian Knight's KING OF SOULS is every parent's
worst nightmare - a missing child; a dissolving marriage.
Where the story leads is probably one of the creepiest
pieces of fiction you'll read this year…or ever.
And yet the novella is flawed. What those flaws are is
not something that can easily be revealed for fear of
spoilers, but KING OF SOULS is one of those rare novellas
that may have benefited from a slightly longer form -
it's flawed by omission rather than by anything you'll
read between the covers.
But
that's a minor quibble; Knight has tremendous talent.
With a unique and very down-to-earth storytelling voice,
Knight will place you in the shoes of Jim Stamper and
take you to places that no sane human should ever go for
the 50-some pages of the novella. The people and settings
of KING OF SOULS are likely to stay with you for quite
some time and you will find yourself returning to them
at odd moments, wondering what you would do if you were
in Jim's position.
For
me, personally, this is the first piece of Knight's fiction
that I've read. Flaws or no, it certainly won't be the
last. The clichéd review of any young writer's
books always lays claim to "the next big thing in
horror". In this case I hope it's true. KING OF SOULS
does no more than scratch the surface of enormous talent.
If you're looking for something to keep you up all night,
this might just be the book for you.
Earthling
Publications
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WET
WORK: THE DEFINITIVE EDITION by Philip Nutman
Reviewed by Hank Wagner
As
Wet Work opens. Dominic Corvino, leader of Spiral, a crack
U.S. Black Ops hit team, is in Panama City, Panama, preparing
to initiate an operation against four members of the Cali
Cartel, main suppliers of cocaine to the states. Assessing
his situation, he once again takes notice of the spectacular
show presented by the comet Saracen in the night sky.
Corvino
doesn't know it yet, but his life is about to get very
complicated. First, the operation goes awry, resulting
in the deaths of his entire team. Later, he's shot dead
by a traitorous colleague, only to rise again as a zombie
due to the strange radiation generated by Saracen. He
wakes up in a world where humanity is on the verge of
extinction due to the presence of sentient zombies who,
enjoying near invulnerability, are rounding up those not
affected for food. Corvino, one of the "lucky"
zombies who can think for themselves, struggles with a
gnawing hunger for human flesh even as he seeks vengeance
against those who betrayed him. His vendetta against his
ex-colleagues propels him towards a meeting with the book's
other lead character, Washington DC policeman Nick Packard,
an encounter sure to resonate with readers long after
they finish the book.
It's
always reassuring to find that a book you enjoyed many
years ago still holds up upon a subsequent rereading,
which I'm pleased to report is the case with Wet Work,
Philip Nutman's accomplished 1993 debut novel. Written
in homage to Richard Matheson's masterpiece I am Legend,
the novel is still, as my friends from New England might
say, a "wicked good" read--one of the more readable,
well crafted and innovative splatterpunk novels of the
era, its plentiful action and "pedal to the metal"
approach to gore and violence would make it memorable
even if you didn't care about its cast so much. My only
problem with this whole project is that it raises the
question, what's Nutman been doing for thirteen years
that's kept him from delivering other novels? Yes, he's
written some comics, and he's been involved in various
film projects, but it's a shame he never got around to
publishing another novel--it certainly would have been
interesting to see what he did next. Hopefully, this welcome
reissue will spur some activity in this area.
Overlook
Connection Press
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
COMES
A HORSEMAN by Robert Liparulo
Reviewed by Patricia Snodgrass
Comes
A Horseman is a thriller packed full of mysteries, action
and suspense. From the very beginning Liparulo leads the
reader on a non-stop adventure around the world, starting
and ending in Jerusalem. The author poses questions along
the way. Who are the watchers, who is the antichrist and
is this person who he claims to be or is he just another
despot wannabe? Who is the Norseman and why is he sent
to kill artist Cynthia Loab along with fifty-six other
individuals who have all shared one common event in their
lives? Why is the Vatican so interested in Fr. McAfee's
research? And why and whom is driving the poor father
insane?
Comes
A horseman is a suspense novel of the highest caliber.
Billed as a Christian suspense novel, it does not overindulge
in sanctimonious sermonizing that brings down a number
of Christian based novels. Liparulo avoids the temptation
of preaching to his audience, and sticks with his story.
The
novel has an X-files feel without coming off as a cheesy
version of the television series. The characters are crisp
and alive and multi faceted. The plot is engaging. The
storyline moves quickly and just when you think you may
have figured out what's going on Liparulo throws you a
curve. Lipaurlo's style is sparkling clean and the pacing
of the work is as fast as Pip's little red Fiat.
I
really enjoyed this novel and if you like thrillers you
will too. Highly recommended.
Available
at Barnes
and Noble
Win
a signed copy of Comes A Horseman- send an email with
your snail mail address here.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BEYOND
BLACK by Hilary Mantel
Reviewed by Hank Wagner
Alison
is a reader, a genuine psychic who, exhausted by the rigors
of her demanding profession, often ignores the business
side of her trade. Thus, she is pleased when she is approached
by the prissy and officious Colette, who recently ended
both her employment and her marriage. Sensing they can
be of aid to each other, Alison invites Colette to take
over her business affairs; this Colette does, at first
slowly, then with more gusto, arriving at the point where
she's even planning the overweight Alison's daily menus.
Friendship and respect degenerate into conflict and disdain.
Although
the supernatural plays an important part in this book-for
instance, Alison's greasy spirit guide, the loathsome
Morris, is introduced within the book's opening pages--Mantel
seems more interested in capturing the complexities of
the relationship between the two women, chronicling the
ups and downs of their relationship. Alison and Colette
are initially good for each other, but the very aspects
of their personalities that allow for this are also the
ultimate cause of their estrangement. Mantel subtly exposes
these strengths and weaknesses, providing fascinating
glimpses into the complex psyches of her two damaged protagonists.
Mantel
loves to play the mundane off the fantastic. For instance,
Alison foretells Princess Diana's death, but most of the
distress she feels is not over the impending death, but
because of the increased work load that the event will
bring her. Equally fascinating is the work a day world
of sensitives/readers Mantel so realistically portrays;
as much performers as they are gifted, their experience
plays almost as important a part in their presentations
as do their psychic talents. At times, it's difficult
to tell whether Alison is relying on tradecraft or supernatural
gifts to work her audiences; readers get the feeling that
even Alison doesn't always know. But, rest assured, Alison's
gifts, born of a great trauma which Mantel thoroughly
explores, are genuine.
Dark,
touching and amusing, Beyond Black combines a compelling
character study with an intense focus on social mores
and attitudes. Reminiscent in many ways of Christopher
Priest's 1995 masterpiece The Prestige, the novel brings
this small world to vivid life, transporting readers to
a strange, exotic, landscape where the past exerts a powerful
hold over the present, emotionally, psychically and physically.
Available at Barnes
and Noble
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SURVIVOR
by J.F. Gonzalez
Reviewed by Nate Kenyon
Brad
and Lisa Miller are thrilled to be leaving for a much-needed
vacation. Lisa has even more on her mind--she and Brad
have been trying to have a baby for years, and this weekend
she'll finally be able to tell him that she's pregnant.
It seems like nothing could go wrong for the young couple.
But
things begin to go terribly wrong indeed, as a brush with
a van and a nasty case of road rage leads to a citizen's
arrest and weekend in jail for Brad, and a trip into the
very heart of darkness for Lisa. Because the man driving
that van is after a lot more than a little joyride, and
once he and his cohorts have their hands on Lisa, there's
no telling to what depths they will sink. When all is
said and done, Lisa will discover what lengths she will
go to in order to survive. One thing is certain: she will
never be the same again.
Survivor
is a brutally violent, stomach-churning novel that describes
in minute detail some of the most disturbing acts in the
history of literature. Make no mistake: this novel is
not for the casual horror crowd. One scene in particular
(which is, thankfully, only told through flashback and
memory) is so revolting that it will make many a reader
throw the book across the room. There is a fine line between
pushing the envelope to titillate and shock, and crossing
that line into territory that would be better left unexplored.
Survivor will cross that line for many readers.
There
are also a few problems with the plot itself, in particular
the citizen's arrest and the actions of the policeman
who is involved with it. Why he chooses to believe the
accounts of a drifter-like character in an unmarked van
(who gives his name as Smith) over a nice young couple
in an expensive car is left largely unexplored. It's also
unclear why the police have such trouble connecting the
dots between the bad guys, when one has been supposedly
involved in the underground porn scene for years and the
others have fairly obvious ties to him. The circulation
of a handful of bootlegged snuff films is one thing; such
a large and relatively organized ring of snuff collectors
operating around the country without detection is quite
another.
There
are elements to like in Survivor. After the initial kidnapping
and torture sequences, the novel switches gears, and it
is here that Gonzalez really hits his stride. Lisa must
deal with the traumatic aftershocks of her ordeal, and
her grief is handled in a believable and sympathetic way.
Suspense is nicely balanced and there are a number of
red herrings before the final payoff, which will satisfy
many readers.
Unfortunately,
many more of them will be so disgusted by this point that
they will be left with a bitter taste in their mouths.
Anyone with small children, consider this fair warning:
you will likely be taken far beyond your comfort level.
For many hardcore horror fans, this is a good thing. But
everyone has limits.
How
far would you go to survive Survivor?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FOREVER
YOU WILL SUFFER
By Gary Frank
Reviewed by Patricia Snodgrass
Rick
Summers knew he was in trouble when the taxi cab he took
to visit his mother and sister's graves was carjacked
by a zombie. Deposited unceremoniously upon a former girlfriends
house, Rick and Katarina's friend Meggan run afoul of
Rick's former lover. Of course he doen't remember. That
was centuries and generations of incarnations ago. Abigail
has chased Rick Summers literally across time, from one
incarnation to the next, exacting revenge upon the man
who spurned her.
Gary
Frank's novel, Forever You Will Suffer, takes Dante's
Divine Comedy and turns it inside out. Rick doesn't have
to visit hell to find his lost love. His lost love comes
up from hell to look him up, and what happens afterwards
is unforgettable.
Franks
writing is impeccable; the style is fresh and interesting.
Frank keeps the pace up throughout the novel, sending
the reader through one escapade after another. I was somewhat
confused with the tone at first. Upon reading the first
few pages I thought it was a comedy. The female zombie
in the taxi was quite funny. But the story takes on a
sinister tone as Rick is left at his former girl friend's
house and becomes dark and troublesome midway throughout
the book. I also found some things went over the top,
such as the drinking session in Meggan's apartment and
the unconvincing falsetto southern accent that Meggan's
doppelganger assumed.
I
do recommend Forever You Will Suffer, despite the few
errors. It's a fun story, dark compelling and a fast paced
read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE
HELL BOOK by Jason Van Hollander
Reviewed by Angela Bennett
If
this first offering by White Noise Press is any indication
of what we're to expect in the future, well, we're all
in for a treat.
The
production value alone on this chap is worth the price
of admission. This is one of the nicest produced chapbooks
I've seen. The Japanese tissue endpapers are a beautiful
touch and Keith Minnion's artwork captures the title character
beautifully.
Now
on to the story. The story is told from the perspective
of a neighbor of Eli Needleman, whose mother is the town
'crazy'. The narrator starts out his story with his discovery
of Eli Needleman's artwork in comic books while in college,
realizing this is his boyhood neighbor. 4 years later,
our narrator describes his encounter with a man he hasn't
seen since grammar school - an anti-social, outcast who
throws his fan letters, unopened, in the trash. Eli's
work is analyzed in depth over the course of the story
which seems to add to the 'illusion' of evil surrounding
Eli. The narrator returns home and strikes an uneasy acquaintance
with a man he knew as both a child and as someone who's
work he idolizes.
When
he is finally invited up to see Eli's Hell Book
- he wonders if he has damned his soul to hell.
While
I enjoyed the story, I was disappointed that it was so
short. I felt as if there was more to the story than what
we're given and would like to have seen it a bit longer
and more fleshed out.
Definitely
a bargain for the price.
##################
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