Horror World Book Reviews
March, 2007

SCAVENGER by David Morrell
Review by Tom Piccirilli

The follow-up to David Morrell’s eerie and entertaining Stoker Award-winning Creepers is a semi-sequel of sorts featuring the return of that thriller’s protagonist Frank Balenger, the emotionally scarred adventurer who’s in for a whole lot more action and pain this time around.

After receiving a mysterious letter inviting him and his girlfriend Amanda–another survivor of the deadly events which transpired in Creepers–to a lecture on the history of time capsules, Balenger is drugged and passes out. Upon awakening he discovers that he and Amanda are caught in a lethal game being controlled by someone known only as The Game Master.

Amanda and several others who are known for their survival skills have been kidnaped and taken to an isolated, booby-trapped house in the wilderness. There they are forced to live out a video game-like scenario where one misstep can end in death. They must find their way from the house and into the surrounding valley in order to discover the most famous “lost” time capsule of all, The Sepulcher of Worldly Desires, which involves the secret of an entire town whose citizens disappeared one tragic winter a century earlier.

As Amanda struggles for survival, Balenger hunts down a series of clues planted for him by the Game Master, which lead him closer and closer to Amanda and the great prize that’s been promised.

As always, Morrell does a highly impressive job of not only entertaining us with edge-of-your-seat thrills, but also educating us on a fascinating subject so few of us know anything about. In this case, it’s time capsules, which have a much more interesting and complex history than one might suspect. The thoroughly researched topic adds a realistic grounding to such extraordinary circumstances and situations. The historical facts lend a credibility to the novel that is just as gripping as the first-rate action.

Scavenger is another wonderful fusion of thriller, mystery, and adventure underscored with an often chilling atmosphere. The narrative is lightning-paced, told in a ticking clock real-time fashion that will keep you nailed to your chair. Morrell knows how to grab us, divert us, enlighten us, and keep us turning pages so fast that fingers are bound to get flash burns.

Read more about Scavenger and play Scavenger the Game here

CDS Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DISPOSAL by Jeff Strand
Review by Joe Kroeger

Jeff Strand, author of the deeply disturbing and highly acclaimed novel Pressure, is someone who is making a distinctive name for himself within the horror genre. Following up the grand success of his first serious work of horror fiction, Strand returns to what he does best with his newest highly entertaining and offensively humorous novella Disposal, a dark comedy of errors rich with strand’s style of disquieting humor. With previous works of dark comedic fiction under his belt like Graverobber Wanted (No Experience Necessary) and Casket For Sale (Used Only Once), you know what kind of horrific yet humorous reading experience you are getting yourself into from page one.

In DISPOSAL, Jeff Strand introduces you to Frank, a deeply psychotic and deranged human being, and the narrator of this novella, who takes immense pleasure in the armed robbery of anyone unfortunate to cross his path. However, when Frank robs a dry-cleaners for a measly twelve bucks with Gretchen behind the counter, she propositions him with an offer he cannot refuse. After agreeing to murder her husband, Frank discovers the “special circumstances” that makes this not your run-of-the-mill murder for hire that he figured he was getting himself into. Right from the get-go, he finds that is not just difficult to kill Gretchen’s husband, it is damned near impossible.

For those readers out there who are fans of what Jeff Strand is best at or are coming to him for the first time, then Disposal is sure to please with his trademark unsettling brand of humor that serves well as a backdrop within this novella. His writing is rough and disturbing and this book is unquestionably a “no-holds-barred” roller-coaster ride that is sure to cross a few lines, but I’m here to tell you that it is well worth the price of admission.

Strand expertly captures the raw feeling of his main character with such a convincing voice that he literally leaps from the page and into the room with you. With the crude unrefined attitude of this narrator, you will be thankful you can keep him trapped within the pages when you are finished reading this book. Strand creates a perfect character that you will not be able to stop yourself from hating, but you are sure to have a thoroughly great time doing so.

I highly recommend getting your hands on DISPOSAL by Jeff Strand and hunkering down with a novella this is as highly entertaining as disturbing horror fiction can get. Jeff Strand is one of the most original and humorous writers in the horror community today and it is well worth getting to know his unique brand of writing.

Biting Dog Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

VAMPIRE OUTLAW OF THE MILKY WAY by Weston Ochse
Review by Michael Myers

While reading Weston Ochse’s latest offering an old Reeses Peanut Butter Cup ad campaign came to mind.

Hey, you got your Vampire tale in my Space Opera.

No, you got your Space Opera in my Vampire tale.

And for good measure add in related storyline dealing with a modern day family dealing with the unique challenges of raising a child with autism and you have the makings of Vampire Outlaw of the Milky Way, the first title published by Bad Moon Books.

Was Weston able to pull off combining these three vastly differing styles? To stick with the Reeses theme, what you have here are Three Great Reads that Read Great Together.

Monray da Kine, a human who has undergone some bio-engineering to become the Outlaw Vampire in question, travels throughout the universe with his companions, the six armed B’Dam and the exotic Majaji searching for Shared Souls. What a Shared Soul is and why they are important to Monray becomes clear as the novelette progresses. Taking the characters through set-ups, showdowns and some great fight scenes that pulled me into the story, Weston is able to create an entirely new universe filled to overflowing with colorful, intriguing and often quite nasty creatures. What does Jimmy, a young boy with autism have to do with this tale? Weston weaves Jimmy’s tale into the storyline, giving the reader enough information a bite at a time before making it all clear by the story’s end.

While the story leans most heavily on its Sci-Fi aspects, horror fans should enjoy Weston’s take on Monray who is anything but your typical gothic vampire. Just realize going in that Vampire Outlaw of the Milky Way is a Space Opera at its heart. The mixing of genres gives the story a unique flavor that was refreshing to read.

I think the story holds up very well as a stand alone tale. However I would love to see more of these characters in the future. At 92 pages this piece has the feel of an introduction to a much larger story.

Bad Moon Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MIDLISTERS by Kealan Patrick Burke
Review by Joe Kroeger

Repeatedly, Kealan Patrick Burke successfully proves himself to be a writer who defies having a specified label branded to his forehead, and continually saves his fiction from becoming categorized to fit neatly within some imagined ideal of the horror genre. Donning a wide variety of hats within the horror community, author, editor, screenplay writer, and yes, even actor, Kealan is someone who flawlessly keeps coming to the table with a fresh imaginative outlook that keeps everyone redefining the genre. Hot on the heels of his widely successful pulp horror novel Currency Of Souls, Kealan offers up a tale of paranoia and the frustration born out of a writer’s life with his newest novella, Midlisters.

Midlisters tells the story of Jason Tennant, a midlist writer of violent horror novels, who gets an invite to be a guest of honor at the Aurora Science Fiction & Horror Convention where he will share the spotlight with Kent Gray. Gray is a wealthy, handsome and extremely popular writer of “Sex-Fi” novels, with the caliber of writing that Jason Tennant wishes he were capable of. Haunted by the ghosts of his past and paranoid about the future of his marriage, Tennant arrives at the convention only to come face-to-face with the object of his obsession and learns the true meaning of horror.

Kealan once again hits one out of the ballpark with his latest skillfully written novella that is plotted to the level excellence that his readers have come to expect. Not only does he once again enhance the prose with his trademark poetic descriptions, but he takes on the narrative quality of this piece with such perfection that you will swear you can hear Jason Tennant speaking to you from within the pages. He successfully captures the quality of Tennant’s voice with such ease that his protagonist could be a living-breathing individual alive and walking the streets.

As Kealan leads the reader through his brilliantly devised story, he keeps a slight surreal quality alive just beneath the surface so you find yourself doubting the validity of what his character is showing you. The haunting scene with his father in the beginning of the story was written with sparse details, but, with Kealan’s expertise, I still was overcome with chills that followed me through the rest of the novella.

Midlisters by Kealan Patrick Burke comes with my highest recommendation as another work of literature that proves Kealan is more that deserving of his place within the horror community. Crack open Midlisters and prepare yourself to experience a perfectly written novella that will hold you under its spell until the final pages.

Biting Dog Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BREATH OF THE MOON by John Urbancik
Review by Joe Kroeger

After I finished reading Breath Of The Moon by John Urbancik, I came to the realization that to create a truly exceptional novel, the writer must do more that simply lead the reader through the plot from point A to point B. There needs to be something more substantial along the way or the experience just becomes one of the many cookie-cutter novels that offer no true entertainment value. With Breath Of The Moon, John Urbancik gives us an exceptional novel that is undoubtedly more that just the sum of its plot points.

The story is a simple one. Teresa Grove lives an unremarkable life in Florida running her bookstore with little else to fill her time. However, all that is about to change as the Moon, residing in human form, is about to “shift her shade” and transfer all her powers onto Teresa. On top of all of that, there are darker forces waiting in the shadows ready to abuse the Moon’s power whether Teresa likes it or not. The uncontrollable power over life or death is destined to end up in Teresa’s grasp, all concealed in the form of a kiss.

John Urbancik takes this richly entertaining plot and fills it to the rim with influences from Mythology while adding the best aspects of thriller, horror and fantasy novels. After stirring it all together, he pours it over some of the finest written characters to create a novel that just trembles with rich atmosphere. Breath Of The Moon is an exciting, emotional and sometimes haunting reading experience that will have you treasuring every page.

There are so many aspects of this novel that literally jumped off the page and demanded my attention that I would have trouble doing each of them justice with this review. I loved how the characters became perfect personifications of their representative roles with such rich prose that I felt as if they practically came to life. I admired the originality and captivating prose of each descriptive passage that told of Teresa’s visions. Moreover, I enjoyed the fact that this novel held me captive, caring what unfolded for each character, until the book was safely back on my shelf.

For readers of fantasy, horror and thriller alike, I can give my highest recommendation for Breath Of The Moon by John Urbancik as a novel that will captivate and entertain with its magical prose and haunting story. This is an expertly written novel by an author who is well deserved of his place within the literary community.

Solitude Publications

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLOSING TIME AND OTHER STORIES by Jack Ketchum
Review by Joe Kroeger

Jack Ketchum, most widely known for his gritty and unflinching view of horror that pushes the envelope further than most writers, follows up his outstanding short story collection Peaceable Kingdom with the grand storytelling of Closing Time And Other Stories. With exemplary novels like The Girl Next Door and Off Season under his belt, Jack Ketchum has truly become a major player in the horror genre. However, it is in his short stories that his talent really shines, and Closing Time And Other Stories is nineteen examples of Ketchum at his absolute finest.

In his short tale Returns, Ketchum opens up his collection with a haunting ghost story that sets the pace for the rest of this memorable collection. Told from the viewpoint of the ghost, Returns is a touching story rich with emotion that shows no matter how bad a situation is there is always something to hold onto. Delving into the opposite side of the spectrum, Damned If You Do tells the tales of a psychiatrist obsessed with the meaning behind dreams and the reality behind one of his patients. This tale is pure Ketchum at his most horrific showing the reader that true evil can luck within even the most normal people.

Creating characters that appear to have walked right out of everyday life, Ketchum’s stories become extensively rich character studies that center less on plot and more on individuals to advanced the story. Station Two is a perfect example of this as Ketchum jumps into the minds of a variety of in-depth characters with an individualized viewpoint supplying a small piece of the overall story. Without showing you the gruesome details, he succeeds in creating a deeply disturbing tale of the darkness that lies with everyone. The title story of this collection, Closing Time, uses characters set in the backdrop of the 9/11 tragedy to tell an emotional and disturbing tale that is sure to stay with you long after setting the book aside.

Centering the majority of his writing on real-life horror that seems to be pulled from everyday life, Jack Ketchum rarely goes down the supernatural trail to scare his readers. When he does, the end result is a perfect example of outstanding writing. Elusive tells the story of a man’s desperate attempt to watch a popular horror movie that everyone informs him features an actor that could be his twin. This “Twilight Zone’ styled tale is so alive with imagination that it looks as if it was pulled fresh from the Rod Serling handbook. Honor System delves into the realm of the surreal as a woman stumbles across a motel in the middle of nowhere that runs completely on the honors system and discovers the special kind of clientele haunting it.

With other well crafted tales such as Brave Girl and Consensual, Ketchum leads his readers through a wide range of stories, disturbing as they are memorable, only to leave them wanting more as they turn the final page. Closing Time And Other Stories is one of those collections that fires on all cylinders, with no stories found lacking, so the reader has no reason to be pulled away from the exceptional storytelling.

Even if you have already read one of two of these stories in the past, I highly recommend picking up Closing Time And Other Stories by Jack Ketchum to enjoy the finest examples of an author who has a freshness and imaginative style sure to awaken the horror community.

Gauntlet Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CTHULHU FHTAGN, BABY & OTHER COSMIC INSOLENCE by Will Ludwigsen
Review by Joe Kroeger

I have never had more fun reading a collection of horror stories than I did with Cthulhu Fhtagn, Baby & Other Cosmic Insolence by Will Ludwigsen. Do not get me wrong, these stories are horror but Ludwigsen tackles each tale with a freshly amusing outlook that creates a body of work that shines with an originality that is hard to come by in the horror genre. With these thirteen original tales, Ludwigsen takes on the all too familiar staples of horror, like zombies, aliens and Cthulhu mythos, with an inventive viewpoint that shows his readers the lighter side of horror.

Even though this collection starts everything out with one of the lesser of the stories, you should not let this deter you from continuing further, otherwise you will miss out on the truly spectacular pieces. Anomie, not Ludwigsen’s best efforts, is more an anecdotal narrative about a homeless man than a richly developed story he later proves he is more than capable of developing. If you write this off as a fluke and make it past this one entry, you will find yourself amply rewarded as the gems of this collection come spilling forth.

And Justice For Doll tells the story of a Granddaughter who invents a world that her toys inhabit and what measures must be taken for the series of murders that are being committed. With an inventive array of character and a flawless narrative voice, this story takes its cue from the best courtroom dramas to create a wholly original work of fiction. Without waiting for you to catch your breath, Ludwigsen throws you in the surreal tale of one of the most world famous writers and the bizarre secret to his success with Speaking Mouth Dog. This tale will have you rethinking about the meaning of literature.

With other outstanding stories like The Trespasser, his own version of an alien autopsy, Soured, where a young child finds the true meaning behind the boogeyman he discovers hiding within a milk truck, and Raw Recruits, an original take on zombies and the people who would use them to create an army, you will find yourself savoring every page. The title piece, Cthulhu Fhtagn, Baby!, is the funniest creative look at the Cthulhu genre that I have ever come across as Ludwigsen writes a humorous review of the first Cthulhu Broadway show.

The one masterpiece of this book that shined with unsurpassed brilliance was BILLY, the story of a young girl growing up on a futuristic farm in which “Billy Boxes” are raised. “Billy Boxes” are a genetic enhanced food source that is the future’s replacement for cows. The girl takes on the responsibility of raising the “runt of the litter” and ends up questioning the true meaning what constitutes life. This story is an emotional and richly developed tale that will haunt you long after the original and tragic ending.

With such a high number of brilliant stories contained within the pages, this collection is absolutely worth the price of admission. I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of Cthulhu Fhtagn, Baby & Other Cosmic Insolence by Will Ludwigsen to take a good look at a truly imaginative writer who is expertly turning the horror genre on its head.

Lethe Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DEAD EARTH: THE GREEN DAWN by Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks
Review by Joe Kroeger

Every once in a while you discover a story that is so perfect in every way that, immediately after you are done reading it, you are overcome with a strong sense of gratefulness that you were lucky enough to experience it. Cloaked within the disguise a thoroughly over-done plot idea, you find yourself reading a story that is so rich with realistic human emotion that instead of filing it away in some dark recess of your memory the book becomes a part of you. This is what you will experience as you immerse yourself within the pages of Dead Earth: The Green Dawn. Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks successfully take on not one but two overused story ideas, zombies and the Apocalypse, with such an ease and expertise that you will find yourself wondering what dark corner these two writers emerged from.

As the novella begins, Jubal Slate, the deputy sheriff for the quiet town of Serenity, New Mexico, is beginning a seemingly normal day, despite the strange greenish coloring to the morning sky, not knowing that things are never going to be the same again. Jubal is enjoying his quiet life in Serenity and is looking forward to his impending marriage when a sickness begins working its way through town. By the end of this expertly crafted tale, the world will be far from normal and Jubal’s quiet life will be turned upside down. Taking the bare bones of this plot, Justice and Wilbanks use exceptional writing and fully realized characters to dress up the novella with skin, blood and a beating heart at the center.

What makes this novella stand out above the rest, as Gary Braunbeck discusses in his introduction, is that the end of the world is not shown to the reader globally but through the eyes of an individual. Jubal’s personal life and beliefs color the view of the apocalyptic events as they happen giving more for the reader to experience and relate to creating a more fulfilling experience.

For me, the element that truly made this novella an exceptional reading experience was the humanness that flowed throughout the flourishing prose. These guys breathed so much life into their characters that you will swear that you walked with them through the streets of Serenity by the final page. Justice and Wilbanks are so dead-on perfect with their characterization that you feel as if you have shared special memories with them, laughed with them, and, as the events of the story unfolded, your heart ached for them. Sandwiched in-between the horror of the Technicolor zombie attacks was one of the most human and emotionally charged passages that I have read in quite some time. These two guys truly know how to write.

If you are hesitating to get your hands on this book because you think this will be just another shambling zombie story, then I am here to tell you that you have never been more wrong. The closest I can come to letting you know the genius of this novella is to say that I haven’t connected this much with a story since I first read The Body by Stephen King. Dead Earth: The Green Dawn by Mark Justice and David T. Wilbanks comes with my highest recommendation as a reading experience that you cannot afford to miss.

PS Publishing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DEAD SOULS by Michael Laimo
Review by Joe Kroeger

With such an impressive array of finely craft horror novels under his belt like Atmosphere, Deep In The Darkness and The Demonologist, Michael Laimo is an author on the fast track to becoming a major name in the horror community. His latest novel, Dead Souls, is an impressive addition to an already distinguished collection of original and spine-chilling fiction leaving its mark in the mainstream markets. Rich with supernatural horror and very real human darkness, Dead Souls is a shining example of what makes great horror fiction extraordinary.

In Dead Souls, Michael Laimo crafts his novel on the premise that maybe there was something more sinister behind the miracle of Jesus rising from the dead. Johnny Petrie is trapped within an unhappy family life with his religiously fanatical Mother and drunken Father until he receives word that he is the sole inheritor of the Conroy Estate worth over two million dollars. Fleeing from his dysfunctional home, Johnny delves into the secrets of his hidden past and discovers the truth behind death and eternal life that should have remained buried within the Conroy house.

The only complaint I found with this story was that the beginning of the novel had a slight repetitive quality that, in the hands of a lesser author, could scare the reader away before the story really takes off. However, Michael Laimo brilliantly show his writing expertise by flashing back and forth between 1984 and the present to move the two separate storylines along until the inevitable chilling convergence. It is at this point that the novel truly evolves and you will find yourself trapped within the gripping action and hair-raising terror until the final page is safely turned.

It is within Michael Laimo’s beautifully written prose that this novel spectacularly succeeds well beyond the run-of-the-mill horror story. Laimo sets an atmospheric tone with his imaginative writing that maintains its grasp on the reader throughout the entire story. Expertly crafted descriptive passages litter the book to completely envelope the reader into the setting to create a fulfilling reading experience. With his proficiently fleshed-out characters populating the story, you will find yourself caring for them as you are submerged within this brilliant horror tale.

If you are looking for an intense reading experience with enough horror and chills to keep the lights burning well into the night, then get your hands on Dead Souls by Michael Laimo and relish in the pleasure of an author who is writing at the top of his game.

Leisure Books

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE DEAD LETTERS by Tom Piccirilli
Review by William Gagliani

While there's definitely a chance we've all read a few too many novels in which a serial killer figures in the plot, there's yet still something new a writer can do with them, perhaps proving we (in our field) can't leave them altogether behind. Nor should we, as long as we can squeeze some dramatic tension out of them. Take Tom Piccirilli's The Dead Letters, for instance. There's definitely some twist (as well as twisted) action going on here, along with Piccirilli's penchant for

surrealism, which makes the book work well above the standard level. In

Headstone City , Piccirilli blended "The Sixth Sense," "The Sopranos," and Hamlet. Here, the allusions are tougher to track down, but you have the constantly niggling feeling you're missing something, and that keeps your senses honed.        

Killjoy is a serial killer whose kick was suffocating children in their beds. Now, with one streak over, Killjoy has taken to kidnapping supposedly abused children and giving them as gifts to the families of the children he killed previously. Twisted? I'd say. Different? Sure enough.

Piccirilli's twist is spun even more with a protagonist like Eddie Whitt. Five years earlier, Killjoy murdered Whitt's daughter. In fact, Whitt gave the killer his Killjoy label, much loved by the media, and now the two of them are somehow attached by a bizarre umbilical that is slowly destroying Whitt's life. It has already destroyed his wife -- she's in an upscale institution, alternating between pretending her daughter isn't dead and chewing her hands bloody. Whitt's strange connection has made him an unofficial PI, funded by his wealthy

father-in-law, chasing Killjoy on his own as if the murderer is his responsibility only. Having coined the name, Whitt can be forgiven for being obsessed. After having been suspected of being Killjoy himself, having been investigated and followed, Whitt's obstinate hatred and perseverance is used by the police in the hopes of catching Killjoy when and if he makes himself known to Whitt. Since the murders, Killjoy has corresponded with Whitt, sending him fantastical letters made up of sheer inventive lunacy and mixed metaphorical literary and cultural

references. But no one seems to know how these letters reach Whitt, or why exactly. What is this connection shared by killer and victim? What makes Whitt so special, that his child was the first murdered and that he was given the first replacement child? (He gave the girl back.)

Insanity forms a tightening web around Whitt. The strands are his pugnacious father-in-law, his insane wife, his eccentric director friend, a cop who hates him but wants to use him to capture Killjoy (or prove Whitt is guilty), and now both a new cop on the case -- a lovely woman Fed who's been demoted into the Killjoy task force -- and a bizarre Santeria-and-death cult of serial killers who may or may not be involved. As if he hasn't suffered enough, Whitt's return of the new

daughter to its real and unabusive parents incurs Killjoy's deep displeasure, as well as his wife's, who in lucid moments despises Whitt and seems to prefer her gay therapist/"handler". Nobody in The Dead Letters is easy to grasp, sympathize with, or understand, except for Whitt, whose pain is so great he has marched off the edge of sanity -- though, comparatively speaking, he's completely sane. If only it weren't for that dollhouse that he sometimes observes, sometimes inhabits.

Beginning well into the story of Killjoy strands the reader in a surrealist bubble with little authorial effort, and backstory is bled out in a trickle as if every drop hurt. Piccirilli's always precise scalpel prose draws eccentric characters with deceptive ease. And the result is a noir so black, you may need to increase the dosage on your anti-depressants. But, damn is it captivating! No one straddles the literary thriller and horror worlds quite as effectively as Tom Piccirilli. Or as darkly.

Bantam/Spectra

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DEATH WALKS AMONG US by Esther Schrader
Review by Patricia Snodgrass

Clarence “Bruno” Bronski had a vicious childhood. Brutalized by his religiously zealous step-father, he begins to hear a voice known as Jehovah. After a night of abuse Jehovah gives young Bronksi the strength to shove a knife into his step father's throat at the breakfast table.

Despite his desire to be a good boy, Bronski never quite got the knack. Prompted by Jehovah, Bronski punished schoolyard bullies, a girls who made sexual advances toward him, and others he deemed as sinners. Over the years, Bruno Bronksi stacked up an impressive number of kills, all carefully directed by Jehovah. As a reward for being Jehovah's avenging angel, he is permitted to remove the pinky finger from each victim.

Bronksi is caught and punished for his crimes. He spends his adolescence and adulthood in Oregon State Maximum Security Prison. Kept in isolation, the only voice he hears is that of Jehovah who guides and instructs him. When the time is right, he kills his guard and escapes. Once outside he goes on a rampage, killing and stealing, working his way to the man who put him in prison. The problem is, the witness who identified him 25 years ago is already dead.

Death Walks Among us is fast paced, well written and lots of fun to read. The characters are so interesting, and the story line is so intriguing the book hard to put down. There are a few things I found as over the top but they didn't detract from the story. After all, Bronski is being driven by the voice of God.

Death Walks Among Us is a fun afternoon read. I enjoyed it.

Fine Tooth Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DEFINING MOMENTS by David Naill Wilson
Review by Richard Steinberg

Anthologies, especially carefully themed and well executed anthologies, can have a greater impact and more thorough long-lasting effect than some of the best novels ever written.

But these have been in a growing smaller minority each year it seems.

So it was with more than a grain of anxiety that I picked up Defining Moments by David Niall Wilson (192 pages; Sarob Press) to see if it could hold its own against treasured collections of the past, still held close to my heart.

For the most part, it can’t.

It surpasses most of them.

Mr. Wilson presents to us (behind the gripping and emotional cover-art of Donald Paresi) a remarkable insight into a world seen through an alien’s eyes. Except this alien is not from Mars or Hesperus Major; rather he is from small town America and has lived a life of interest, pain, and triumph that bleeds out through every page.

It is definitely not coincidence that Defining Moments represents Mr. Wilson’s work as a series of benchmarks across the years. We see the budding storyteller whose images may – at times – be slightly obscured, but are still critically affecting beyond a reviewer’s words. We experience the solid Old Pro, for whom crystalline images are gracefully and easily drawn; slightly obscuring terrifying self-truths. And there is the master craftsman who takes us by our soul, gently guiding us to the dark and gooey places we lack the strength to journey toward if left to our own devices.

It is, however, a journey not only well worth taking, but one that is never boring, never artificial, and always filled with the most honest, disturbing, and ennobling reflections. This is Mr. Wilson’s greatest gift . . . his technical brilliance at conjuration of the souls that we are, have been, and might someday be.

But here is also where I find my one difficulty with Defining Moments.

The collection is well and accurately named. These thirteen conjurations of soul all represent the moment of definition that we all fear, yet are not often forced to confront. But that is only at the surface. Just beneath that lies the true strength of this collection.

From the heart of America, David Niall Wilson walks us through a Hall of Mirrors. And the reflections therein are frightening, often beautiful, sometimes disgusting, and occasionally despairing or uplifting. But as they are reflections, they are also one other thing.

True.

“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,” John Keats once said, “that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”

And all you need to know about Defining Moments by David Niall Wilson.

Its works of short fiction are unerringly true.

Sarob Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

GERM by Robert Liparulo
Review by Hank Wagner

Opening with a horrific attention grabber featuring the grueling death of a man stricken by the Ebola virus, Germ quickly jumps to a high octane chase scene which sets the tone for the rest of the novel—i.e., plentiful action sequences, interrupted by the briefest of expository scenes, building up to an explosive crescendo that would make even James Bond wince from the noise. In other words, a lot of good, clean, bloody, fun.

Liparulo posits the creation of a designer virus that moves from host to host, causing only cold like symptoms in most, but resulting in death for a select few. The virus, you see, searches for a specific DNA pattern; once it finds its target, it mutates into Ebola, swiftly liquefying its victims’ internal organs. The creator of the virus, Karl Litt (the son of a Nazi researcher), has chosen then thousand targets in the United States, in order to demonstrate the virus’ effectiveness, and to achieve a measure of revenge against a former ally, the powerful and well-connected former cold warrior, Kendrick Reynolds.

Drawn into the fray when a member of Litt’s organization attempts to blow the whistle on the scheme, FBI Agents Goodwin Donnelley and Julia Matheson find themselves besieged on all sides, fighting off Litt’s assassin (an ubiquitous and deadly killer code named Atropos) and Reynolds’ operatives. Eventually, Matheson teams with innocent (but surprisingly competent and resourceful) bystanders Dr. Allen Parker and his brother Stephen to root out the cause of the evil before they become collateral damage. Their search leads them to unexpected locales, where they do battle with Litt and his men.

To boil things down to their essentials: read Germ if you've ever shuddered while reading non-fiction books like The Hot Zone, by Richard Preston, or Flu, by Gina Kolota or Germ by Judith Miller, et al. Or, if you've ever thrilled to novels like Daniel Kalla’s Pandemic or Stephen King's The Stand or George R. Stewart's Earth Abides. But read it mostly because it's a great yarn, a literary shot of adrenaline that’s fast, fierce, and fulfilling. Don’t be daunted by its size, either. At nearly five hundred pages, Germ is a veritable brick, but, don’t worry, it goes by in flash, segueing quickly from one action sequence to another, barely allowing a mesmerized audience the chance to catch its breath.

Westbow Press

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HE WATCHES by Jason Barnes
Review by Joe Kroeger

With the numerous small presses and self-publishing tools available to writers these days, there are a great number of novels by virtually unheard of authors being made available to the public. In many instances this could be seen as a recipe for literary disaster, but every once in a while, an expertly crafted and beautifully written gem is unearthed that would never have been made available through mainstream publication. He Watches by Jason Barnes is one of these hidden gems that I am thankful I had the opportunity to experience.

He Watches tells the story of Jason Scottsdale, a seemingly average teenage kid with run-of-the-mill friends and the normal childhood problems. However, under the surface Jason is having the most unusual and extraordinarily frightening problems. The problems begin with vivid and horrific dreams of a figure cloaked in shadows that is torturing and murdering the people close to him. When the blackouts start and the dreams begin to become reality, Jason fears that the truth behind the shadow figure lies within himself. As the death toll rises, he reluctantly realizes that he must face the truth about himself and discover exactly what he is capable of.

Jason Barnes has written an expertly plotted novel that ratchets up the suspense from page one successfully carrying it though until the final terrifying sentence. His perfect sense of pacing is evident as he generously doles out the major plot twists only when he feels it absolutely necessary to peak the reader’s interest. It is this competent skill that raises the “been-there-done-that” plotline far above the run-of–the-mill novel and into the realm of exceptional storytelling.

With well-drawn characters and enough atmosphere to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand at attention, He Watches is a chilling supernatural thriller by a writer with a firm grasp of the horror genre. If you are interested in reading a haunting thrill-ride that will hold you enthralled well into the night, I recommend picking up a copy of He Watches by Jason Barnes, but be sure to leave the lights on.

BookSurge Publishing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

LOVE AND SACRIFICE edited by Robert Prattin
Review by Joe Kroeger

Even though Love And Sacrifice, edited by Robert Prattin, has a small page count in relation to most anthologies, this book packs an amazing emotional wallop within these well-crafted tales. Love And Sacrifice collects twelve stories, written by a wide range of authors, which center on love, relationships, and the horror that can be lurking in the shadows. Even with a couple stories falling short, this anthology is still an energetic and horror packed reading experience that will leave you wishing that there were more tales to tell.

This anthology opens with a story that bristles with such heart-wrenching emotion that you will find yourself pausing to catch your breath before going on to the next entry. Stepping Off by Mike Davis is a simple story that follows the lives of two damaged individuals with horrific pasts and the paths each of them end up on. With a perfect narrative voice and a powerful ending, Stepping Off is the perfect story to gather the momentum to rocket through this exceptional anthology.

Stepping into darker regions with Nine Lives, Gary McMahon leads his readers down a frightening trail of deception and misplaced revenge that will leave you cringing at the all-too horrific ending. McMahon takes a simple story and infuses it with horror so real that you will think twice about what even the most normal person is capable of.

For The Game by Bruce Golden is a simple tale about a baseball player with an intense love of the game that becomes a perfectly realized “Twilight Zone” type story that stands out as a high point in this anthology. Pushing the limits in the opposite direction, Freaks by Brian Rappatta tells a story about circus freaks and personal fetishes that will have you realizing that fulfilling your deepest fantasy may not always be a good thing.

Other stories that stand out as exemplary works of fiction in this anthology are Code Blue by William Malmborg and Those Below by Jeremy C. Shipp. Both of these stories take on the idea of death and its effects on love and relationships, which successfully creates two completely original tales. Add these to the rest of the stories within this book and you have a wonderfully solid anthology that is an immense pleasure to read.

If you are looking for a collection of stories that is a fast read that stays with you long after the final tale then Love And Sacrifice, edited by Robert Prattin, is the anthology you have been searching for. Be prepared to lose yourself for a short time within an anthology that is well worth the price of admission

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SNIPER ELITE: SPEAR OF DESTINY by Jaspre Bark
Review by Joe Kroeger

I usually find myself trying to avoid any novels that are specifically based on differing media such as video games or role-playing. I always fear the writing will seem dry as the author tries to force the story to fit into the parameters designated by the subtle plotline of the video game. I dived into Sniper Elite: Spear Of Destiny by Jaspre Bark expecting the worst only to find myself pleased that I was completely wrong in my preconceived notions of this novel. With intense atmospheric writing and a story that bristles with suspense, I found myself relishing every second of the roller coaster ride pausing to catch my breath only when I had safely turned the final page.

It is nearing the end of World War II and Karl Fairburne is a member of an elite sniper corp that is undercover for the American secret service deep within the bombed out world of Berlin, Germany. Karl’s latest assignment is SS General Helmstadt, head of the Nazi nuclear program, who defecting to Russia with all of Hitler’s nuclear secrets. Before leaving Germany, Helmstadt plans a horrific act of revenge against the U.S. that could end the Cold War before it begins.

The main thing that made this book an extraordinary read for me was the way that Jaspre Bark completely immersed me into the realm of World War II Germany with his richly developed prose and detailed descriptions that perfectly captured that period of time. He keeps the feelings of despair and destruction evident throughout the novel by never letting up on the descriptions as he moves his protagonist through the blasted landscape. You end up with the feeling that you have been given a special glimpse into a side of World War II that never appeared in any of the history books.

His characters are so expertly fleshed out that you would swear he pulled them into the story from real life rather than the cast of characters from a video game. He puts everything he has into even the minor characters so you are given a complete view of the people as the story unfolds around them. They are so alive with emotions and detailed pasts that you cannot help yourself from deeply caring about how they end up by the completion of the story.

With the rich writing and living, breathing characters along side an action pack plot with so many twists that you will be left reeling by the end, it all adds up to an exciting reading experience that should not be missed. If you are looking for grand World War II spy thriller then be sure to get your hands on a copy of Sniper Elite: Spear Of Destiny by Jaspre Bark and I promise you will not be sorry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SLITHER by Edward Lee
Review by Dennis Duncan

Something very strange is occurring on Pritchard's Key a small island off the coast of Florida. It was once a Army missile site, but now it lies abandoned to nature and all but forgotten. Local college students, poachers, and drug addicts who know of its location flock there to party, and grow marijuana. The island is very secluded and is only accessible by boat at the high tide so it is an ideal place for those wanting to do things of the illegal variety.

A couple of Polychaetologists along with a National Geographic photographer and a Army Warrant Officer have come to the island to study and photograph a local scarlet bristleworm. They soon discover a new species that is unlike anything they have seen before. These worms have parasitic qualities and they are infecting all the living creatures on and around the island, including humans. What everyone is unaware of is that the US Military is conducting secret experiments with the worms on the island and anyone who happens to step foot there become lab rats in their sinister experiments. Pritchard's Key is a place of unspeakable horror and anyone who finds themselves there will have to Hell to pay.

I am a long time Edward Lee fan. I have read just about all his work and have never been disappointed. I started Slither with very high hopes and I can say that, while not my favorite Lee stor,y Slither is a fun, satisfying full of blood, guts, and Loalds of sex. Fans of Lee and Spatterspunk stories will greatly enjoy the characters, and pacing in this story. What they will most enjoy, is the sex and gore. Slither is full of scenes that will make readers with weak stomachs fighting back the bile. Lee is King of Spatterspunk and he makes no apologies to those who can’t handle his work. I recommend Slither to all Lee fans. It is a quick, satisfying read that once again proves that Lee is one of the premiere names in Horror fiction.

 

# # #

 

Previous reviews now appear in the Archives