Horror World Book Reviews
March, 2008

 

DEEPER by James A. Moore
Review by Mark Justice

One of the great delights of 2008 is the new novel by veteran wordsmith James A. Moore. DEEPER is Moore’s tribute to one of horror’s masters, H. P. Lovecraft. Specifically, Lovecraft’s “The Shadow Over Innsmouth”.

In DEEPER, an owner of charter boats books a late season group of academics who want to explore underwater caves. Captain Joe Bierdan’s passengers include a husband and wife team of television ghost hunters. The presence of the parapsychologists is the first clue that the voyage will not go smoothly.

Moore establishes very quickly that Golden Cove, the seaside town near the dive site, may have been built over the ruins of a town called – wait for it – Innsmouth. Without divulging too many details, the novel pays tribute to Lovecraft’s earlier story while blazing an original, terrifying trail.

At the risk of offending HPL purists, Moore is the superior stylist. One of Moore’s hallmarks is the depth of character given to the players in his tales, and DEEPER is no exception. From Captain Joe to the most minor figure, Moore convinces us we are reading about real people. Captain Joe’s first person narration – at first breezy and light – reflects the gradually darkening tone of DEEPER, putting the reader even closer to the horror and heartbreak.

DEEPER is nearly perfect novel of horror, one that can stand proudly alongside its inspiration.

Necessary Evil Press

* * * * * *

FIVE STROKES TO MIDNIGHT , edited by Gary A. Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble
Reviewe by Cesar Puch

When it comes to short fiction some people prefer anthologies, as they provide a chance to read a number –sometimes big, others small– of different authors and styles. Others prefer collections authored by a single writer, so they can get various short tales from a particular favorite. In the past there have been projects –Night Visions, for example- which give the reader both, the chance to read three or four authors who deliver a number of stories. Five Strokes to Midnight is one of these projects, and the lineup is something to envy. In addition to co-editors Gary A. Braunbeck and Hank Schwaeble, Five Strokes includes stories by Tom Piccirilli, Deborah LeBlanc and Christopher Golden. The result: 13 stories by five of the best writers in the business and an award-nominated product from the new guys on the block.

Each of the authors of Five Strokes was given the liberty to pick a subject and write a number of stories around it. First in line, Tom Piccirilli, chooses Loss and approaches the theme from two very different angles. In his first story, actually titled “Loss”, Piccirilli tells a very long, surreal tale (a little too surreal for my particular taste) about a number of people who have, well, lost quite a lot, most importantly their direction in life. This is followed by the wonderfully shocking “Bereavement”, a story that forces us to experience the pain of a father who sits by his little son’s bed as he waits for him to die. During the heartbreaking wait we get a look at the different people he has lost in the past, family members that are masterfully described. “I remembered when he used to carry four cinder blocks at a time in his massive arms, laying them out around his small tomato garden. At the end, I could’ve flung him across a football field one-handed.” This story sets out to break our heart, and yet manages to leave us dumbfounded, angry, and scared.

Gary A. Braunbeck chooses Hauntings as his theme and starts with a signature tale, the Stoker-nominated “Afterward, There Will be a Hallway”. The first in a trio of linked stories, “Afterward” is the heartwarming tale of a man who is destined to stock the belongings of the recently departed. His “job” is to collect these possessions once they are discarded by the hospital and keep them until the spirits decide to choose one and only one thing, which will decide if they move over or stay. The final three paragraphs are tearjerkers. “Afterward” is followed by “The Queen of Talley’s Corner”, a sad story about an old glory who holds onto the memory of the man she once loved, and where things might not be exactly what they seem. Finally, “Listening to Hendrix Sing ‘1983 … (A Merman I Should Turn To Be)’” focuses on a broken character (present in both the other stories) and his account of where his life has lead him and what he is becoming.

In Curses, Deborah LeBlanc gives us two stories set in the South. In “White Hot”, things turn hard for a desperate contractor who seeks the help of a witch. She provides a way for him to get everything he wants but the price is steep. In “Bottom Feeder” a young runaway is picked up by a mysterious woman who offers her a job feeding her pigs, including the one that “looked like a Volkswagen with a busted gas tank”. She starts getting visions of a little girl who warns her that she might never leave this place. Both of these tales are highly entertaining. LeBlanc does a good job in keeping the pace moving and has some really effective descriptions (I dare you to hold your dinner while reading a particular scene in “Bottom Feeder”). However, the problem is that, as Tim Lebbon mentions in his introduction, LeBlanc’s stories are not really centered in the subject of “Curses”, this is just one more element in them. Unfortunately the author chooses basically the same “curse” in both stories. Additionally, “Bottom Feeder” feels extremely predictable and in both cases there are a number of lose ends left. I would have liked to see more approaches to a theme which has a lot more to give.

Co-editor Hank Schwaeble provides perhaps the most violent trio in the collection. Centered on Demons, the author starts with “Midnight Bogey Blues”, an odd tale about a serial killer who repeatedly tries to rid himself of the demon which has followed him throughout his life. In “Bone Daddy” a high-class hooker is hired to film a sexual relationship with the mummified remains of a very special client. Finally in “ Gomorrah” a group of low-lives decide to teach a gay man a lesson after he tells them off; when they finally find him they realize there is more to him than meets the eye. Schwaeble’s stories are all about predators and victims. Who is who, however, remains unclear. In the end, the demons take the role of watchers, observing as the people around them lose their humanity.

Finally, Christopher Golden chooses “Folklore” and provides a chilling creature tale, bookended by two heartwarming stories. In “Breathe My Name” a group of miners are trapped underground; as the time passes and they start to lose their strength, one of them recalls an old bedtime story his father used to tell him. The ending of this one feels sad but magical. From the darkness of the mines we are taken to a different type of darkness, “Under the Cover of Night”. Set in the frontier between Mexico and the US, this chiller follows Carl Weston, a soldier working for Border Patrol and the DEA. While taking down a gang of dope smugglers who are trying to cross illegally, Weston realizes that the crossfire is not the only thing he needs to avoid when he spots a creature stealthily devouring people. Finally, “All Aboard” shows us a marriage broken by the death of a young child and hope running aboard a ghost train. Not only did I thoroughly enjoy all of Golden’s deliveries, I hope there will one day (if not already) be a Golden collection that turns around this very theme.

Five Strokes to Midnight is one of the best anthologies to come out recently and its quality is already gathering Stoker nominations. Pick this one up.

Haunted Pelican Press

* * * * * *

FIRES RISING by Michael Laimo
Review by Norm Rubenstein

Maintaining the high quality of its reasonably priced softcover Horror Series, Dorchester Publishing, via its Leisure Books imprint, is releasing this month Michael Laimo’s latest novel, Fires Rising. For those unfamiliar with author Laimo, he is a prolific and gifted Horror/Science Fiction/Dark Fantasy/Suspense Genre writer of both short fiction and novels. He has two short story collections already published, Demons, Freaks, And Other Abnormalities and Dregs Of Society as well as five prior novels, including the excellent The Demonologist and Dead Souls. Mr. Laimo has so far been twice nominated for The Bram Stoker Award, both for his first novel, Atmosphere, and for his second novel, Deep In The Darkness. With the publication of Fires Rising, author Laimo is likely to see his string of Stoker nominations increase.

Fires Rising is based upon author Laimo’s Novella, Desecration, which was released by Bloodletting Press last year in a limited edition hardcover to much praise. In Fires Rising, Laimo, being given four times the amount of words, is able to explore much further in depth into both his characters and the plotline, and further manages to multiply the fright by an exponential factor far larger than the amount of added words alone. Those who liked Desecration will love Fires Rising. However, Fires Rising provides a wonderful introduction for Horror Genre readers who are as yet unfamiliar with Laimo’s writing, while being of equal merit to those readers who’ve been closely following author Laimo’s writing, and have been looking forward to his latest novel. The book, at its base, is structured as an Apocalyptic “End Of Days” Horror novel, of the ultimate battle between Good and Evil, and is filled with demons, zombies Satan, God, and scenes of graphic horror and terror that are truly frightening.

The novel centers upon the Manhattan, New York based Catholic Church of St. Peter. In an immediately riveting Prologue flashback, the readers are shown the Church as it is just being completed in 1892, when a special crate arrives from the Pope himself, along with a sealed document, to be presented to the Monsignor of the new church. When the crate is accidentally dropped upon arrival at the church, and its contents are released, terrible events ensue, and the destruction of our world is narrowly averted – at great cost. This leads to the crate and its mysterious contents being placed into a deep hole under the church’s foundation and sealed away, hopefully forever. The remainder of the book takes place in present time, and revolves around the book’s protagonist, Father Anthony Pilazzo, who has been ministering to the needs of his parishioners at the Church of St. Peter for the past seventeen years. However, all is not well – the City of New York found a loophole by which they declare the existing 60 plus year lease with the Church invalid, and have taken control of the now very valuable property, and are preparing to demolish the now vacant church. Indeed, City workers have been prepping the site for demolition for a matter of weeks now. During this same time, unknown to either the church or City officials, a number of homeless “street people” have found sanctuary within the walls of the abandoned church, and have been residing in the old church as a haven from the elements, until it is finally torn down. The ancient buried crate is found and opened, and the modern city of New York suddenly finds itself facing total destruction, along with the rest of our world. The end of days is suddenly thrust upon an unprepared mankind, and Father Pilazzo finds himself tasked by God with attempting to avert the Apocalypse. His sole assistance appears to be the straggly and strange band of about a dozen homeless men led by Jyro, who by no coincidence at all, find that they had been either altar boys or ministers prior to their falling off of life’s mainstream. Can the homeless men find the “sinless one” who is humanity’s only hope to stop the coming apocalypse, and can Father Pilazzo find the strength to face Satan himself?

The book is very fast-paced and action packed. There are chills and horrors aplenty, and numerous cliffhangers. A sustained mood of incredible tension and suspense is maintained, along with interesting characters introduced, and intriguing questions raised. Author Laimo even manages to have fun with quite a number of “insider” references for those “in the know.” Both within the cast of homeless men and Catholic priests and Monsignors, one will come across some names that will be familiar to those who read enough Horror Genre literature. Author Laimo’s ending is yet another inspired, final plot twist that will leave readers with a great deal to think about.

In conclusion, Fires Rising displays author Michael Laimo’s considerable talent to great effect. It is a totally satisfying and thrillingly (and chillingly) enjoyable read, and receives my highest recommendation.

Leisure Books

* * * * * *

DUMA KEY by Stephen King
Review by Mark Justice

Edgar Freemantle is a self-made millionaire, a contractor in Minnesota. Edgar’s life nearly ends when a job site accident takes his right arm and leaves him with a critical head injury.

During his recovery, Edgar is plagued with memory problems and prone to rages. As a result of the latter, his wife divorces him. Edgar relocates to a remote Florida island where, on the advice of his doctor, he takes up sketching. Edgar finds himself driven to paint, a compulsion connected to phantom pain from his missing arm.

Edgar’s artistic skill quickly grows from crude sketches to elaborate, disturbing paintings that seem to have an affect on the real world.

Duma Key is a nearly deserted island, owned by the elderly Alzheimer’s patient Elizabeth Eastlake. Edgar becomes fast friends with Wireman, Elizabeth’s caretaker, and through that relationship discovers that the three of them share a common tragedy that appears to be nurtured by the island.

Edgar’s paintings gradually become prescient, as he accurately captures the intimate details of the life of both his ex-wife and daughter. At the same time he draws a figure in a red robe that he refuses to show to anyone.

Eventually, Edgar becomes the toast of the Florida art scene, but his new-found popularity only serves to open the door to something evil that has existed on Duma Key for a very long time.

DUMA KEY is among Stephen King’s strongest work, as mature in theme as LISEY’S STORY without the earlier novel’s irritating stylistic indulgences.

DUMA KEY central message seems to be the power of creativity to heal broken minds and bodies. But at its heart, this is a horror tale. As such, it’s one of King’s most effective scarefests in quite some time. In recent years the horror element in many of King’s novels has taken on an almost cartoonish fantasy caste. In DUMA KEY, there are moments of fine terror that ranks among the author’s finest.

DUMA KEY succeeds on every level. For those readers who have decried the quality of King’s recent efforts, DUMA KEY is a return to classic King. It’s a novel that be proudly shelved next to THE SHINING, THE STAND and THE DEAD ZONE.

Scribner

* * * * * *

CRIMSON ORGY by Austin Williams

Review by Dennis Duncan

Sheldon Meyer, an underground horror movie director, has a vision for the ultimate Grindhouse Flick. It is called Crimson Orgy and if Sheldon’s vision is realized it will become the most notorious cult movie ever made and quite possibly the worlds first true snuff film.

He encounters some major obstacles in the making of his masterpiece. To start he only has a week to finish the film and with a reluctant starlet, an alcoholic lead man, local redneck cops, a hurricane, and a disloyal crew the deadline is going to be almost impossible to meet. When the week of shooting is over he will never be the same. His desire to make the world’s most hardcore underground flick will end up costing him more than he could ever imagine.

I have always been a fan of the underground horror and exploitation films. I own just about all of them from Cannibal Holocaust to I Spit on Your Grave so when I started Crimson Orgy I knew that I was going to be in for a real treat and Mr. Williams delivered the goods. Crimson Orgy is a brilliant homage to the classic grindhouse films of the 60s and 70s. I devoured this story in one long, enjoyable night and even though I missed out on an entire nights sleep I couldn't have been more satisfied. I could not tear myself away from the dark, twisted world Mr. Williams created. Something else I didn't expect when I started Crimson Orgy was how twistedly funny it was going to be. I found myself laughing out loud on more than a few occasions. Mr. Williams writes with a style and wit all his own. He also has a dark and twisted sense of humor that even the most jaded fans will enjoy. He is destined to become a major force in the genre if he continues to write stories as stylish and original as Crimson Orgy.

Borderlands Press

* * * * * *

THE DEAD by Mark Rogers
Review by Dennis Duncan

The Bible prophecy of the end of days have come and our world is doomed. The Sun is dimming and it looks like it is rotting in the sky. The Rapture has happened taking the faithful to Heaven but leaving countless people behind. The unlucky souls who still remain on this dying earth are in store for something that even their worst nightmares couldn't prepared them for. Satan and his fellow Demons have been unleashed from the bowels of Hell upon the earth where they are possessing the bodies of the Dead. The Fallen ones wander the streets in the rotting flesh of the dead seeking to destroy all of the unlucky ones that were left behind. A group of survivors led by two brothers journey though the streets of New Jersey, hiding from the legions of Dead, all the while trying to make sense of this world gone mad. As their numbers dwindle and the situation becomes more and more hopeless they will soon learn that their salvation is no longer in their hands.

The old world is gone and The Dead have inherited the Earth.

Ever so often I come across a story that is truly unforgettable. One that haunts me long after I am done reading it. One that makes me want to go back and reread it over and over again. One that I wish I had the talent and skill to write. The Dead is such a story. The Dead is the ultimate Apocalyptic tale that will grab you by the throat on the first page and never let go. Mr. Rogers crafted a zombie story that has become one of the classics of the genre.

Read more reviews from the Spring Into Terror Team

Monster Librarian | Hellnotes | Dark Scribe | Fear Zone | Dread Central | Horror Web | Horror Drive-In

# # #

Previous reviews now appear in the Archives