Horror World Book Reviews

CHARNEL WINE by Richard Gavin, Review by Mario Guslandi

Richard Gavin's debut collection is not only a further addition to the list of works by new authors launched by the prolific Rainfall Books,but also the opportunity for horror readers to meet an author endowed with tremendous potential as a writer of dark fiction.

Does he effectively express this potential in this volume? Yes and no.

Most of the stories collected in "Charnel wine" have previously appeared in small press anthologies such as the Darness Rising series, Dark Lurkers, Strangewood Tales and in various horror websites from 1999 to 2004. Some of the tales appear to be the product of a mature, talented craftsman, some the unripe fruit of a talented apprentice. What I found a bit disconcerting is that Gavin's earlier stories are not always less convincing than his more recent work or, to put it more bluntly, that his latest fiction is not necessarily his best. Which means that Gavin's problem (if any) is not to reach maturity as a writer, but to find the courage to leave some manuscripts lying in the bottom drawer and publish only the good ones. And, believe me, Gavin's stories, when are good , are simply outstanding! While I found rather boring the group of short tales featuring Dr Valzer, an unlikely metaphysician, or expert in the paranormal, I want to mention a bunch of stories the quality of which is superlative. First of all, the title story "Charnel wine", a superb parable about love beyond the grave (literally speaking).

"Berenice's journal" recounts the pathetic attempts by an unattractive girl to elicit the interest of a new neighbour . The captivating narrative leads the reader very smoothly throughout the events towards the story's nasty ending.

"The Lodge" is an offbeat piece of fiction about the unspeakable secrets of a little town concerning an ancient lodge and the mysterious disappearance of various people.

"The tides that bind" is a powerful story depicting the post-partum anguish of a young woman and her liberation by means of a drowned little boy.

"The parting of the veils" with its rather obscure plot may puzzle the reader ,but is so fascinating and frightening from the outset to become an unforgettable example of perfectly accomplished dark fiction.

To me, however, the real gem of the book remains "Porcelain & pretty lace" a great piece of creepy prose where Gavin proves without a doubt to be an extraordinary storyteller able to skilfully mix in a story the deep sorrow for the loss of a child with physical horror.

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DARK HIGHWAY by Dan Thomas, Review by Mark Justice

Dark Highway is a novella that reinforces that old bromide: if you're a loser who's tortured and murdered, you'll come back to life and become a success as long as you rape and eat plenty of people.

Dark Highway is the story of Tom Turley, a failed salesman who finds himself stranded on a lonely highway until he's rescued by a couple in a motor home. This couple is a little on the kinky side. They like to pick up strangers so the wife can have sex with them while hubby runs the camcorder.

And-oh, yeah-then they murder their victim, as Tom finds out.

Resurrected through means never made clear, Tom finds himself with superhuman strength, the intelligence of Einstein, a hankering for flesh and the libido of a rabbit on Viagra.

Much sex and cannibalism ensues.

Thomas has a style that's direct and to the point. Dark Highway isn't about the plight of the working man or the emptiness of existence.

It's about chewing off genitalia and zombie lovemaking.

If extreme hardcore horror with a dash of black humor is your thing, pick up Dark Highway.

But be warned: after reading it you may want to shower repeatedly.

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RAY MCMICKLE AND THE KENTUCKY VAMPIRE CLAN by Steve Zinger, Review by Mark Justice

Hey, y'all.

Ah live and work in Kentucky, just like ah have fer muh whole life, so naturally Ah talk like this, just like Ah'm a character In this here book.

Dialects are hard to pull off in fiction. Even if you succeed, the repetitive use of the dialect can grow tiresome. That's just one of the problems facing this promising novella.

RAY MCMICKLE AND THE KENTUCKY VAMPIRE CLAN (RMATKVC, for the remainder of this review) is the story of Roy, also confusingly referred to as The Stranger, a guy who hops a bus in Canada and ends up in Lebanon Junction, Kentucky a place "farther from any town than any other town is". The town's obligatory redneck deputy makes it clear that they don't like strangers 'round these parts, so Roy tries to walk out of town. But all roads, apparently, lead back to Lebanon Junction. And the titular characters who reside there.

I think Steve Zinger has real talent. He can certainly craft convincing scenes of horror. But man, oh, man, this book is in serious need of a good editor.

Characters who say "Ah" on one page suddenly switch to "I" on another and back again. There are some issues with "it's" and "its". And that stereotypical hillbilly accent becomes grating over time.

The design of RMATKVC-published by First Books, a company that doesn't list an address, web site or other contact information in the book-is rather odd, as well, looking as if it were scanned from the original manuscript, with triple-spaced lines and words underlined instead of italicized..

All those little oddities catapulted me out of the story so many times I was tempted to give up. I stuck it out because I think Zinger shows genuine passion for his subject matter..

I'll give him another try. I just hope he has a better editor next time.