[phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 483: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/bbcode.php on line 112: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is no longer supported, use preg_replace_callback instead [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4668: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4670: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4671: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) [phpBB Debug] PHP Warning: in file [ROOT]/includes/functions.php on line 4672: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at [ROOT]/includes/functions.php:3815) Horror World • View topic - A couple of thoughts on recent reads
I've gotten through quite a few books recently, and there were two or three I wanted to give a sort of mini-Zuma on.
The Wolfman by Nicholas Pekearo
Yes, it's a werewolf book. But don't let that deter you from reading this really good debut. The werewolf itself appears on maybe 25 of the 300 pages. Marlowe Higgins is a Vietnam vet who has inherited the curse from his grandfather and father. He has become a bit of a nomad, but finally settles down in a quiet Southern town in the early 90's (when the book is set--this makes Marley in his early 40's). He has also formed something of a truce with the wolf, not fighting it with the wolf going after bad people.
A serial killer comes into town and Marley decides to set the wolf on him, but can't find him. Marley's quest becomes a race until the next full moon to catch the killer.
While that may sound cliche, it doesn't become that. Marley isn't a detective and doesn't have a lot of ideas of how to go about doing what he needs to do. Peakearo also adds some twists to the werewolf legend that help round Marley out. The wolf absorbs some of a person's "soul", as Marley calls it, and he finds himself with certain attributes that aren't originally his, such as the ability to speak 5 languages or the compulsion to buy several newspapers a day to cut out stories and tape them to his wall.
Part horror, part hard-boiled detective story, part wrong-guy-in-the-wrong-place-at-the-wrong-time story, I enjoyed this. It took me about 50 pages to really get into it, but once I did, it moved nicely. One thing about Pekearo, though. The Wolfman was published posthumously. Pekearo was an auxiliary police officer in New York, meaning he didn't carry a gun, and he and his partner were shot and killed by a fleeing robber. There is a short piece at the end of the book about his getting his position as an auxiliary officer that's very insightful.
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Shivers V edited by Richard Chizmar
I enjoyed several of the stories in this anthology for different reasons.
The Albright Sextuplets by Norman Prentiss--a new view of the Jon and Kate Plus 8 crap going on.
The Burn Victim by Sarah Langan--a nice creepy tale. I haven't read her novels yet, but she adds something that in another's hands might have been cliche.
Good Fences by Scott Nicholson--yes, I liked this tale about what a good neighbor might be.
Hazel (Reduxed) by John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow--short and bittersweet. Very un-Jake's Wake-like.
Cumberland Furnace by Ronald Kelly--good ol' southern horror.
Long Overdue by Sarah Pinborough--one of the best in the book. The true horror of the story doesn't start until the tale's end, leaving the reader to imagine what happens next.
Dog Days by Graham Masterton--a pretty jacked-up story about love. I think this would be right up Horrordude's alley.
The Forever Long Snake Of Olan Walker by Steve Vernon--the Mighty Vernon can do no wrong. This is set in the 50's and the characters are in a chain gang. Both Vernon-like and unVernon-like at the same time.
Dead Head by R. Patrick Gates--what if food wasn't the first thing on a zombie's mind? The best of the zombie tales in the book.
True Glass by Rick Hautala--about the decline of a man's sanity when he can see a person's true likeness through a piece of glass. The true horror, what he sees about himself, is never told, which I liked about it.
Marley's Cat by Chet Williamson--the real story behind A Christmas Carol.
The Fall by Del James--about a Heavenly drug.
The Acquaintance by Kealan Patrick Burke--a nice revenge tale. As far as I'm concerned, Burke has entered Vernon territory--neither man can do no wrong.
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British Invasion edited by Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon and James A. Moore
This one was more of a mixed bag for me. I liked some, some were okay, but there was one that I had no idea what was going on, even though I like to think I'm reasonably intelligent.
Lost In A Field Of Paper Flowers by Gord Rollo--this tale rocked. I think this one would appeal to Braunbeck fans.
Respects by Ramsey Campbell--I liked where Campbell was trying to take this one, but it lost me about halfway thhrough because certain characters were too unlikable.
Farewell To The 21st Century Girl by Mark Chadbourn--a good mix of horror and a little science fiction.
At One by James Lovegrove--an interesting tale made even more so by the fact that Lovegrove used nothing but one syllable words. I knew where the tale was going, but that didn't detract my enjoyment.
The Nowhere Man by Sarah Pinborough--this tale about truly lost youth, along with her tales from Shivers V and Waiting For October, makes me want to read a story collection by the talented Miss Pinborough.
The Crazy Helmets by Paul Finch--shows that even the dead can have a change of heart.
Black Dogs by Gary Fry--a tale about depression and just a little hope.
The Misadventure of Fat Man and Little Boy, or How I Made A Monster by Philip Nutman--pretty straight-forward tale that was still enjoyable, and a warning about making movies with your friends.
Mutiny by Kealan Patrick Burke--let me just give you the first sentence. "I awake to find my face on the nightstand." Awesome tale.
British Horror Weekend by Anonymous--I wanted to laugh, and everytime I did, I wanted to cringe. I didn't recognize all the names in the tale, but enough came to me that I hope everyone has a great sense of humor about themselves. I liked it.\
Leaves by Peter Crowther--reminded me of some of those horror movies where the atmosphere and build up were enough until the very end. A nice tale about the unlikeliest of terrors.
Puppies For Sale by Mark Morris--maybe a little long, but I liked it. A nice variation on the vampire myth.
The Vague by Paul Meloy--a good, trippy tale that kept you guessing.
If I had one problem with this anthology, it's that three of the last four stories were the longest in the book. I would have liked to have seen them separated by a shorter tale, but that's really a personal preference.
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If anyone wants more of a reaction on a certain tale, I'd be happy to go into a little more detail. The nice thing about two of these books is that they are affordable. Shivers V is like $15 bucks and The Wolfman is mmpb for $8. Pick them up.
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