Horror World Book Reviews
March, 2009

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CASTAWAYS by Brian Keene
By Norm Rubenstein

Sometimes you will read a book and wonder just where the author managed to get the story’s central idea - what obscure nightmare, neurosis, scarifying childhood incident, or spare intellectual or emotional black hole lay behind the concept for a tale. Then there are the times where you will come across a book and have one of those “V-8” moments, where you hit yourself upside your own head wondering why you hadn’t managed to come up with such an “obvious” and yet perfect plot. Perhaps it is a mark of a true literary genius, or at the least a superior storyteller, to present the reader with those plots that seem so perfect in their sublime simplicity that they always give the impression, after the fact, of being obvious.

Brian Keene has certainly given readers a number of such brilliantly simple and sublime story ideas in his books. Castaways is yet another example of Keene’s keen eye for plot. In Castaways the latest cast and crew of a television reality show that is deliberately very similar in all respects to the actual long-running hit show Survivor, find themselves on a small, isolated and deserted tropical island. The contestants are engaging in the “normal” strategizing, building alliances, lying, back-stabbing, and some even flirting, all while trying to survive long weeks of hardship and little food while competing in the regularly scheduled competitions set up by the network. They all want to win the ultimate one million dollar prize for being the last contestant voted off the island. But what should happen if the island was not quite as deserted as everyone has thought? What if the old legends, myths, and tales told in hushed voices by tribal elders around the campfires on neighboring islands of a fierce and deadly race of cannibalistic creatures was true? To further ratchet up the pressure and terror, what if the island suddenly found itself directly in the path of a huge and powerful typhoon that would mean keeping only a small skeleton crew from the network’s rented luxury freighter on the island during the storm to film the reactions and tribulations of the remaining contestants – whom the network has determined will have to remain upon the island during the storm if they wish to remain within the competition and eligible for the grand prize?

Author Keene brings this all to exciting life within Castaways. He manages to immediately hook readers and then whisk them away at supersonic speed on a true thrill-ride of a journey. The novel is filled with inside peeks at what might actually go on behind the scenes at a popular network television reality show, and is remarkably precise and prescient in presenting the true motivations and tactics employed by both the staff of these shows as well as the contestants.

But then, Castaways is so much more than this. Author Keene, in his “Author’s Note” immediately following the novel itself, introduces the book quite openly as being his homage to the late and much lamented Richard Laymon, whom he considers not only one of his personal mentors, but also, quite correctly, as one of the finest and most original modern authors of horror and thriller fiction. Keene does Laymon proud in Castaways. There isn’t a dull moment nor a wasted word in the book. The plot moves relentlessly forward, with the surprising and yet always inevitable plot twists at which Laymon was always so expert. The characters are involving enough to make the reader both interested and invested in what happens to them. The violence and terror are both very real and, in somewhat typical Laymon fashion, the women always seem to get the worst of it, in that the worst that can happen to the men is that they die painfully, but for the women, there are always worse things that can, and invariably do occur.

Ultimately, Richard Laymon was one of our finest, if very much underappreciated and under-recognized, storytellers. An author whose books were designed to take readers upon an interesting and entertaining journey, and who invariably succeeded in doing so. Somewhere surely, Richard Laymon is smiling down upon his deserving disciple, Brian Keene, who learned well from the Master. Castaways is a supremely entertaining book that will keep readers captivated and guessing as they fully lose themselves within the compelling alternate reality created by the book. Author Keene successfully captures the essence of what made Laymon’s books always such a delight to read, and is both comfortable enough and accomplished enough in his own skin and talent to provide his own inimitable touches throughout the book that elevate it to an arguably even more elevated level. Castaways is a mature and confident effort of an accomplished and versatile author. In the end, what really counts and matters is that the book is an exceptionally entertaining read and definitely worth the reader’s involvement of time.

Leisure/Dorchester has just released the book in an affordable softcover edition in February 2009 for those whose primary interest is in reading books. Luckily, for those who are also collectors, Larry Roberts’ Bloodletting Press will be publishing elegant and eminently collectible limited and lettered deluxe hardcover editions a little later in 2009. Either way, Castaways is a winning combination of Laymon and Keene – why not pick up a copy and enjoy a nice glass of V-8 as you read.

Leisure Books/Bloodletting Books

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MY WORK IS NOT YET DONE by Thomas Ligotti

Review by David Simms

Thomas Ligotti must have a crystal ball. Either that or he was traumatized by the greedy Gordon Gekko run world of corporate hell in the Eighties. Such a timely piece of work, this classic, first released in 2002 and now in mass market form to torture the chain store population, feels the pain most Americans suffer in the Dante-esque Dilbert world. Whether one wants to commiserate with those cubicle bound or just wishes to simulate the suffocating, identity stealing lifestyle, this collection is bound to garner this talented writer some much needed public attention.

The trio of stories included in this book begins with the titular work, a short novel-length piece that follows junior manager Frank Dominio in his downward spiral on the corporate staircase. A member of seven shark-like executives, he falls prey to their greed and aspirations and is downsized. Without hope, he turns to a malevolent being in a back alley who helps him exact revenge in a style of Stephen King crossed with “Office Space.”

The other two tales, “I Have A Special Plan For This World” and “The Nightmare Network,” further this story in the future. The first explores the invisible evil figureheads of companies and hits on the Orwellian theme with both humor and horror. The second rings more of science fiction and sheer poetry than typical horror.

For those who haven’t discovered Ligotti, this is a good place to start. Then go to The Nightmare Factory, Teatro Grottesco, and Shadow at The Bottom of The World for further exquisite madness. This man exhibits the soul of Poe and Lovecraft but in a modern fashion. Fantastic writing combined with a truly bent view of our sick little work makes this, and all of his work, highly recommended reads.

Virgin Books, 2009

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COLLECTED TALES OF THE BAJA EXPRESS by Gene O’Neill
Review by TT Zuma

Collected Tales of The Baja Express is a book of futuristic post-apocalyptic stories containing a full novel called The Burden Of Indigo and three related short stories. 

In The Burden Of Indigo, O’Neill takes the reader on a journey along side an old man whose entire body has been dyed a deep shade of blue as punishment for a horrible crime he had committed.  In addition to being colored indigo for his crime, he is sentenced, like all other dyed men, to perpetually roam the country looking for small “Company” provided outposts that contain enough food for sustenance and a few vials of a narcotic called Smoke.  All dyed men have a forced addiction to Smoke and must keep wandering from one outpost to another in order to get their next fix.

The indigo man’s story is so engaging that you can’t help but get caught up with O’Neill’s protagonist and his struggles in a nuclear ravaged wasteland.   I found myself constantly asking questions and waiting patiently for the answers as the author revealed more and more of the indigo man’s back story and exposed him to new dangers.   What crime did the indigo man commit?  Are different dyes used for different crimes?  What’s to stop the indigo man from committing the same horrendous crime over again?   Why can’t the dyed men just go to an outpost and steal all of the food and drugs they need?   Are there women who are dyed also?  If so, do they have sex with the dyed men?  And as you read further on… the questions keep coming. 

O’Neill’s plotting is so well developed in The Burden Of Indigo that even though he is always one step ahead of the reader, we never feel like we are being set up.  O’Neill anticipates what questions we are going to ask, and with his brilliant pacing, he delivers the answers when our interest is at its highest.   And the answers he provides can be gut wrenching and sometimes shocking (as in the nature of the indigo man’s crime). 

And while all of this is going on, while we are sharing the indigo man’s introspective thoughts and are entertained by his adventures, O’Neill has been subtly asking the readers a few questions of his own.  How do we feel about sexual deviancy?  What are our thoughts on racism?  Do we harbor some prejudice against those who may belong to a different socio-economic class than we do?   Are we as tolerant of others as we believe we are?  And most importantly, is redemption possible?  If so, who grants it?

Bad Moon Books

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THE CONFESSIONS OF ST. ZACK by Gene O’Neill
Review by TT Zuma

The Confessions of St. Zach concerns itself with a man named Jacob Zachary.  As the story begins we find Jacob, along with his family, snowbound for three weeks in a cabin up top a California mountain somewhere near the Napa Valley.  When the weather breaks, the family is able to dig themselves and their car out from under the snow and then begin their slow drive down the mountain to their home.  On the way down they notice that things appear to be out of the ordinary and they become confused at the lack of traffic.   Their confusion quickly turns to concern when they notice several abandoned vehicles parked or strewn along the highway.  Continuing their trek home, it doesn’t take long for them to discover that a nuclear catastrophe has occurred while they were weathering the storm and there is very little that remains of the Bay area.  The story then chronicles the family’s efforts to stay alive with other survivors and how Jacob, through a set of brutal circumstances, eventually becomes a mythical and legendary figure.

I found The Confessions of St. Zach to be very well written and by no means a challenge to get through; in fact it was a fairly easy and enjoyable read.  I thought the subtext of the piece, humanity vs. individualism, was not so blatantly obvious to the reader as to detract from the story.

For fans of O’Neill and those that have read and loved Collected Stories of the Baja Express, The Confessions of St. Zach is more than a welcome addition to his post apocalyptic stories.

Delirium Books

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LITTLE GRAVEYARD ON THE PRAIRIE by Steven E. Wedel
Review by Mark Tyree

First off, gang, do not be fooled by the rather silly title of this Novella. Little Graveyard on the Prairie flat-out ground my soul into a fine powder and left it to blow across the desert. My first taste of this author left me wondering why newer writers can’t be this literate, insightful, original and fresh. Wedel opens his imagination and lets it softly tiptoe into your mind with an ice-cube-down-the-spine first chapter and never lets the reader off the hook until the shattering conclusion. I was reminded of a Braunbeck or a John Little tale and if any of you good people have read these two writers you know what a high compliment that is.

The premise of the story will appeal to any reader and lover of the quiet, creepy character-driven psychological ghost story: Harley Shaw’s life is turned upside down after his farmland is ruined in an oil speculation. Stubborn to the core, this proud man is determined to keep his land that was passed down to him and decides to sell off “all-natural” burial plots to keep an income coming in. Too little, too late, his wife and daughter having already left him, he still maintains a hope of them returning except for one minor problem---the dead won’t stay quiet. His daughter Jenny is running around tombstones in the dead of night wanting to play tag… even with Harley’s knowledge that she’s now a grown woman living hundreds of miles away. His past is haunting him and his wife’s pleadings over the phone do little to help his sanity and the ugly reminders of his past and present failings.

With just his dog, “Bubbles”, a dead, nagging old bitch named Mrs. Murphy and a dead, New Orleans blues singer “Dirty” Joe Dubois, Harley’s only grasp--tenuous at best and slipping fast--on reality is through calls with his wife and, Dan, the Chief of Police. But what’s real and what isn’t? Are the dead really piddling around making life hell for Harley? Haunting him about his fuck-ups? Rubbing his face in mistakes and the loss of his family like a pile of cow flop and, speaking of, just where the hell did his cattle go? And just what is that special recipe for fertilizer?

Wedel doesn’t take the easy way out, believe me. This tale takes a more personal shift towards the end, taking on a sad, tragic subject but in Wedel’s gifted hands, it’s handled with subtlety, sensitivity and with the self-confidence of a seasoned pro.

This concise and stylish story is book-ended with a terrific introduction by Steve Vernon and two short stories, “Reunion” and “Nocturnal Caress” making this book a nifty little prologue of things to come from Wedel.

Bad Moon Books

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EXILE: THE COLLECTED HELMAN GRAFF by Scott Falkner
Review by TT Zuma

In February of 2006 Scott Falkner released a novella called The Feast of Catchville. It was the story of a young couple who decide to take a vacation in the dead of winter at an old Inn located in the boonies of Northern Wisconsin. They arrive at the Inn in the midst of a blizzard and soon find themselves captives, along with a few of the townspeople, by the horrendous snowstorm…and something else. At this point in the novella the story becomes a Ten Little Indians adventure with all the characters in the Inn stalked and then brutally murdered one at a time. At the end of the book, when all hope of survival is lost and those still remaining are going to be savagely killed, they are all saved by a character that appears out of nowhere and kills the creature that’s been trying to tear them to pieces.

The Novella, Falkner’s first published story, was received very favorably by readers and has become a cult favorite. His vivid descriptions of the blizzard and his tension filled plot struck a chord with the readers, but as it turns out, what resonated most with them was the character that appeared out of nowhere and saved the day. A man named Helman Graff.

And as the back cover of Exile states, all the readers of the Novella wanted to know “who was Helman Graff”?

As Falkner explains in Exile, Helman Graff is a man who made it his destiny to assist humanity by battling the forces of evil and the supernatural. He does not seek recognition for his efforts, in fact, he distains it, preferring to have as little contact with people as possible. Graff has no official identity as he has no birth certificate, no driver’s license, does not pay social security, and lives in a secluded bunker hidden under ground.

He does however have vast amounts of resources and an unlimited amount of money, not to mention a supercomputer that would have made Dick Cheney and the Department Of Homeland Security green with envy. This supercomputer scours all the various media outlets and telecommunications devices on earth and alerts Graff to any odd occurrences, mostly unsolved missing person cases and mass murders. Graff then investigates these occurrences and if he determines that they do have the hand of the supernatural in them, he takes action.

The ten stories in this book are all fairly short and they do little (with one exception) to give the reader a more complete understanding of who Helman Graff really is. In fact, Falkner startles the reader by actually beginning the book with a story that kills Helman Graff off! But despite the shock of knowing that the star of the book has just had his head twisted off in the first few pages, Falkner does a great job keeping the reader not only interested, but enthralled with the character. These stories are thrilling and often humorous, allowing the reader to put to the back of their mind that their hero is dead. As we finish one story, we find ourselves anticipating the next, and it never occurs to us that Graff has already met his maker as we watch him battle sewer creatures, werewolves, vampires, ghosts, mad scientists, a Yeti, and in one of the best stories in the book, a man who is turned into a frog by a witch.

Don’t look for any subtexts, hidden themes, or moralizing in these stories. Instead, you’ll discover the ten tales in this book are just plain fun and extremely entertaining. I would highly recommend you read Exile and find out for yourself who Helman Graff is, and while you’re at it I would also recommend picking up The Feast of Catchville.

StoneGarden Publishing

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NEW DARK VOICES 2 Edited by Brian Keene
Review by TT Zuma

In just a few short years, Brian Keene has become a writing phenomenon producing a prodigious body of work. His extraordinary literary talents up to now have focused on novels, chap books, short stories, afterwards and forwards for other authors, non fiction commentary and musings, editing anthologies, comic books, and let’s not forget his website appearances. One might wonder how he manages to set a few hours aside for sleep. 

Astute horror fans know only too well Keene’s passion for the genre and his willingness to nurture new authors. Recently, Brian had the idea of resurrecting a dormant anthology series called New Dark Voices, which showcased well respected but little known horror authors in an attempt to expose them to a larger audience. Keene approached Shane Staley at Delirium Books with his idea and after some negotiating, New Dark Voices 2 was approved.  This book is truly a labor of love for Brian as he refused any monetary payments and donated all his editing time on the project.  Brian did however have the privilege of choosing the authors and the stories for the book.

The first story in New Dark Voices 2 is called Sins Of The Father and it is authored by Brett McBean.  In his introduction, Keene compares McBean’s style to Richard Laymon’s, in fact Brian claims that McBean’s writing even transcends Laymon’s in certain areas.  Based on this single story I can’t say I agree with Keene’s statement, though I do see some similarities in plot structure and pacing.

Sins Of The Father introduces us to Tony Christopher, a man who happens to be a lousy husband and a negligent father. Plainly put, he is a simple screw up with most of the blame stemming from the fact that he is an alcoholic. After disappointing his wife and daughter one too many time’s Tony decides to sober himself up and heads off to a cabin in the woods for two months to dry out. At the end of his successful self imposed exile, he drives himself back home now clean and sober.

As Tony approaches his hometown, nestled in a remote valley and surrounded by farm country, it is apparent that something is very wrong.  As he nears the outskirts of the town with his car widow rolled down, he notices that things seem to be a little too quiet. There is a lack of the everyday noises that are common to a community. Even the birds aren’t singing.  Once he arrives in the town proper it doesn’t take Tony long to detect that something is truly amiss, there is no activity anywhere on the streets. Cars are idle, there is no pedestrian traffic, and even the forever annoying neighborhood dogs aren’t barking.  After stopping and investigating further, he finds that the town is completely devoid of people.  Confused and concerned, he rushes to his own house only to find his wife and daughter missing.  He visits nearby homes and finds them empty as well.

Bewildered and trying to make some sense of the situation, he decides to travel to the nearest town for help.  While on the way out of town he decides to stop at some of the local farms to see if those families have also shared the same fate as the townspeople.  He quickly discovers as he makes his way from farm to farm that all of the animals have also vanished along with the people. Except for the last farm he visits where he discovers a young boy named Shaun. 

Tony befriends Shaun, and then to his amazement, the young boy admits to being the reason for the mysterious disappearances. When Tony presses him on the cause, the youngster is reluctant to continue the conversation and starts stressing out. That’s when events to go from bad to worse.   First the air becomes electrically charged due to a constant barrage of lightening, and then the sky begins raining blood.  And not too long after that, Shaun’s recently deceased father, who’s just as mean dead as he was alive, comes to call. And dear old Dad has brought some friends with him.

Sins Of The Father is a well written creature feature layered with equal parts good characterization and tension filled plotting.  McBean does a wonderful job in getting the reader empathize with his protagonist, so much so that we can’t help but feel awe at Tony’s act of redemption and then sorrow at its consequence. The story itself moves along at a pretty good clip, and though it may have the sensibility of an old B movie, the story itself feels fresh. Sins Of The Father is a truly entertaining story.

The second tale that Brian offers us is called Eliminate The Improbable and is authored by Nick Mamatas. 

I want to preface this portion of the review with a story.  Many years ago I was sitting in a restaurant eating lunch when a couple of young ladies chose to sit down at a table next to me.  Right away I could tell there was something odd about one of the women. She was fidgeting constantly and couldn’t seem to keep her body still, even as she seating herself.  Once they were in their chairs, the fidgeting woman started to talk, and talk, and talk…she would not shut up.  She ranted non stop about everything that seemed to pop into her head including her personal life, to the point of revealing embarrassing details.   At first I thought it was amusing and found myself eavesdropping on her diatribe against just about everything and everyone.  But soon her constant harping, the fixation on the minutiae of her life, and her utter lack of focus, finally got to me and I tried to tune her out.  It didn’t work, she was impossible to ignore. So I finished my meal quickly and left the restaurant.

Eliminate The Improbable reminded me of that episode.  The story contains large portions of exposition that just seem to ramble on endlessly and on occasion seemed tangential to the plot at best.  The characters themselves are not very likeable or identifiable, and I found myself getting slightly annoyed at their inept exploits.   In addition, I found the plot to be confusing and meandering (it starts out with women disappearing, but then it happens to one of the characters who is a man, but he comes back, sort of).   And the ending seemed to be a cut straight out of ‘John Dies At The End’ by David Wong, except the narrator in this story turns into a bunch of white moths and flies away when the story finishes (yeah, I know…maybe I missed something). 

It is commendable that Brian Keene has presented a story that might be considered stylistically different and somewhat outside the mainstream, as I’m sure there are many readers who are entertained by or might even prefer a more surrealistic form of storytelling. They may enjoy Mamatas’s offering, but I can honestly say I did not. 

The third story in this book called Borealis, was written by Ronald Damien Malfi, and it is without a doubt the highlight of the anthology.  Malfi’ story is about a crab fishing vessel off the coast of Alaska that is experiencing an unexpected but welcomed bountiful harvest.  As they move along the coastal waters from one position to another to fish for more crabs they cross paths with an iceberg that appears to have an unusual inhabitant, a naked young woman. Standing on deck in the Artic cold, the ships crew watches in amazement as the girl runs up and down the ice ridges across the iceberg completely nude and totally unaware she was being observed in the moonlight.

Malfi describes the scene: <<<The figure was illuminated coming down the ridge - white, glistening skin, athletic build, undeniably female. Smallish breasts capped in dark areolas were quite visible, as was the narrow thatch of dark pubic hair nestled between the V of her thighs…The young woman whipped her head around at the sight of the boat just as Mike turned on the floodlights…Eyes large and black, she stared directly at the trawler’s floodlights, without wincing, frozen as if in spectacle without movement, her narrow little breasts quivering, her mouth opened in a partial snarl through which the vague gleam of teeth glowed…The girl collapsed into the snow, seemingly unconscious..>>>

Performing a daring maneuver with a crane, Charlie Mears, one of the crew, manages to rescue the young girl from the ice, bring her onboard, and place her into one of the cabins. It is shortly there after that the first crew member disappears.

After a futile search for the missing man, it is decided that the ship will return to shore, report the missing crew member, and discharge their new passenger to the authorities. But, as the ship commences its multi-day journey back to shore, with the exception of Charlie Mears, the remainder of the crew begins to lose their sanity. It is left up to Charlie to try to save the remaining men, repair his rapidly deteriorating ship, and determine if there was a good reason the young girl was on that iceberg in the first place.

Malfi’s narration and his descriptive abilities are superb in this story. His scenes are so vivid the reader can almost feel the numbness in the characters frozen fingers and the nerve deadening bite of frostbite as they battle the elements aboard ship. And, in spite of deliberately withholding telling details on the young woman and not divulging her origins, Malfi manages to keep the readers enthralled with her mystery, curious to her intentions, and finally repulsed by her actions. This story was so entertaining I am hoping that Malfi either expands it to a full length novel or pens a new story featuring his female creation.

In summery… New Dark Voices 2 has admirably succeeded in its goal to promote three stellar but lesser known horror authors to a new and hopefully larger reading audience. The stories may range far and wide in style, but in the end I’m sure there will be at least one that will please a reader, if not all three. I would highly recommend New Dark Voices 2 to all readers of horror and dark fiction.

Delirium Books

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