I liked some of the stories in this collection a bit more than others, but overall quite happy I delved in this new to me author's work. "Soil Queen" I liked some of the stories in this collection a bit more than others, but overall quite happy I delved in this new to me author's work. "Soil Queen" was probably my favorite. I liked the journey and the development this one had. "Lucien's" I found totally believable and quite chilling as a result. ...more
This was a perfect short novella with a great slasher vibe. All the elements were there. A group of couples are all in a relatively isolated location This was a perfect short novella with a great slasher vibe. All the elements were there. A group of couples are all in a relatively isolated location for an annual get together. Enter the violent baddie. Secrets. Lots of blood. And there was some mystery in there too. This one got a lot of story told in a short amount of time and I really appreciated that....more
This was quite a marvelous book. It's a slow burn horror that was very clearly well thought out and planned. The narrative kept mWell, done, this!
This was quite a marvelous book. It's a slow burn horror that was very clearly well thought out and planned. The narrative kept me guessing until the very end. There were twists and turns and mysteries.
The book primarily tells the story of Megan Monroe and shifts between the present and 1996. There are other characters along the way, notably Graham Nolan, a detective trying to unravel one problem after another once faced with what seems like a fairly straightforward case about two disputing neighbors. Then there are her boarding school friends who seem to know a secret that Megan lost when a car accident left her scarred and an amnesiac. The "villain" is complex and well-balanced between tragic and evil. In Megan's present, sneaky podcaster Anwar is trying to get a story and serve justice for his uncle (Det. Nolan). He has his own self-righteous quest trying to expose Megan as a presumed criminal.
The book was advertised as a time capsule for the 90s and I felt like it delivered that quite well. I love complicated plots... stories that make me think. Because if I'm thinking, I'm engaging. There were a few times I felt confused and that maybe there was a split in the 1990s timeline, but I could be wrong about that. Overall, that's a pretty soft criticism.
I felt very satisfied by the end, with everything I could think of tied up and resolved.
I don't know why Elizabeth Massie isn't more popular.
This is just one guy's humble opinion. But here, that humble opinion isn't able to gush enougI don't know why Elizabeth Massie isn't more popular.
This is just one guy's humble opinion. But here, that humble opinion isn't able to gush enough about this book. Granted, this is the only book of Massie's I've read, but you can bet your ass I'm gonna try out more.
The storytelling is fabulous because it delves deep into the psychology of the characters. Even minor characters who have only passing scenes are richly drawn and feel alive. The book starts with a fairly simple premise, but expounds on it and develops it in such a way to be very engaging. It weaves the past and present and hopes for the future (immediate and long term) for each of the three main characters: (1) Kate McDolen, the underappreciated teacher and wife that married into a rich family and is expected to NOT work; (2) Mistie, an abused 8 year old girl who has already been put through the darkest of ringers that life has to offer, even after Kate tries to help her; and (3) Angela "Tony" P, an embittered 15 year old girl with a massive case of self-loathing and loathing of all women created by (view spoiler)[her personal baggage and horrors she's gone through... though not an excuse for what she does as the antagonist. (hide spoiler)]
What starts out with Kate making some bad, but well-intentioned decisions for Mistie's benefit, she ends up on a collision course with Tony, who has just participated in a violent crime. What I found most impressive was just how chilling and believable a villain/antagonist Tony was. Her backstory will give you context for her belief that all women are "garbage" tempers and colors what might otherwise a shallow character. Tony's immaturity and poor reasoning skills (combined with a gun) make her that more terrifying and antagonist as she carjacks Kate and Mistie, forcing them to take her from Virginia to a ranch in Texas where Tony is convinced her father (who had left her "worthless" mum) will shelter her and hide her from the law.
The book (again, just my humble opinion) really does a good job of showing the evolution of the three main characters' interactions with each other, their psychology, and the odd co-dependency this thrown together trio develops.
I had inklings where the story would end, but I was pleasantly satisfied when the details were revealed.
Life is complicated and messy. I thought this book did a good job of painting that picture in a literary format. If I could give this one 6 or 7 stars out of 5 I would....more
This collection offered eight short stories I can best describe as atmospheric, thought-provoking, and literary. Some I liked more than others. A few This collection offered eight short stories I can best describe as atmospheric, thought-provoking, and literary. Some I liked more than others. A few didn't really speak to me. But Tamara Kaye Sellman is a new writer to me and I love trying new works out.
"Blood Tunnel" would have been my favorite... It was dark and chilling and a dystopian tale that has far more credibility than is comfortable. But I did not care for the ending. That's just me personally.
I also liked "The Rosaries of Raggedy Anne." That one felt deep and spiritual and haunting. And I found "The Third Way" a very interesting narrative technique of a family trying to escape a bad situation, but told in a sort of reverse chronological order. Very creative.
I liked too that they had a PNW connection, which, as a fellow person living in the PNW, I especially appreciated.
I'd like to see if Sellman has a novel out there. I think I'd like to try that next. ...more
This was an enjoyable short novel about a unique werewolf.
The story wastes no time, getting right at it and giving a taste of the hell that is MC RayThis was an enjoyable short novel about a unique werewolf.
The story wastes no time, getting right at it and giving a taste of the hell that is MC Rayne Ellison's life.
A nomad borne from her need to keep the blood on her hands to a minimum, she's on her way out of San Francisco, away from the disaster her Other self has created. All she knows, based on the little she knows of her kind, is to go north.
She ends up on a small island off the Washington. Just when things are looking okay, she gets the sense that it might all go to crap--again.
I liked that Rayne was both dangerous and sympathetic. A monster but a feeling, caring human. Seemingly indestructible, yet vulnerable.
The story clips along quite nicely. There were a few times where (view spoiler)[I had a hard time distinguishing Rayne's dreams from what she discovers as her real life. (hide spoiler)]
The story promises more adventures, which I fully intend to read. Quite enjoyable. ...more
I’m too conflicted to give a rating. Any rating I gave would be arbitrary, so I’m just gonna stick with this brief review.
This is definitely a brutalI’m too conflicted to give a rating. Any rating I gave would be arbitrary, so I’m just gonna stick with this brief review.
This is definitely a brutal book. No doubt about it. It starts with a mysterious missile attack on the town and then spirals into a chaos where all the men of a small English resort island town going nuts and targeting women (or at least mostly women) with violence and unspeakable acts.
The book takes you on MC David’s journey where a lot of violence and torture plays out. There’s, candidly, not much more. That’s not necessarily a criticism, but I did wonder where the story was going and in what direction Allison was leading me. I liked the Lonesome Oaks book Allison put out. This one however, (view spoiler)[ didn’t really resolve much or provide explanation for why what was happening was happening. In that sense it felt kind of like a mystery where I don’t know—yet—whodunnit or why. (hide spoiler)]
I fully recognize this novella is part of a bigger whole. Fortunately, the ending gives the reader notice that there’s more to come and (view spoiler)[that it will be different (hide spoiler)]. I do intend to read more. ...more
I enjoyed this short book. It was cerebral and managed to find the juxtaposition between modernity and creepiness. It features two broken characters, I enjoyed this short book. It was cerebral and managed to find the juxtaposition between modernity and creepiness. It features two broken characters, Jeffrey and Serena, looking for something in their own way. It had some tragedy and with a cults and cosmic horror it was an interesting novella. I struggled to track what was going on on occasion, but that's no biggie. And it's even more likely that this intelligently written story simply went over my head on those occasions....more
I'm too conflicted on a rating so I'm just going with a review.
This book was a very slow burn. That being said, it was a creative take on classic horrI'm too conflicted on a rating so I'm just going with a review.
This book was a very slow burn. That being said, it was a creative take on classic horror themes of a haunt. It did have some creepiness about it. But the ending was kind of confusing at points. I'm coming to the conclusion too that Anthony's writing style is not my favorite. His female characters are, as I found in the adept trilogy, not particularly convincing. The payoff at the ending was creative but it also left me with some questions. I'm glad, however, that it didn't go in the direction I expected it to. ...more
Diaries of the Depraved will give you an unadulterated, unapologetic gorefest. This volume contains eleven stories that live up to their theme of Diaries of the Depraved will give you an unadulterated, unapologetic gorefest. This volume contains eleven stories that live up to their theme of depraved. I liked some more than others, but they all told a tale without flinching.
Ballad of a Psychopath: This story, by Sarah Moon was a standout. Candidly, probably my favorite within this anthology. I felt like this one captured emotions well. It was a brutal revenge story and by the end I understood exactly where the MC was coming from.
Carcer: Written by Stuart Bray tells a tale of a guy having to work under unimaginably brutal conditions. It was depravity and desperation personified.
In Peep Show, by Post-Mortem, we have a home invasion that captures the inner workings of an MC with a very dark mind. Yikes.
Deceased Flesh: Mique Watson takes you to a very dark chapter in history and the horrors of a concentration camp. It was a powerfully written and compelling story.
Abaddon: Sarah Moon enters the fray again with a couple who’s kid has an imaginary friend. It doesn’t end well. For any of them. Also savagely brutal, which is a Sarah Moon hallmark. Well done.
And the award for most shocking and attention-grabbing opening line goes to… Pretty Penny by Archer Black. It starts with (view spoiler)[“I walked in and set my purse along with my dead lover’s cock on the table.” (hide spoiler)] Uff Da! If that doesn’t intrigue or terrify you (or both), then I don’t know what else to say.
Woody: Post-Mortem shows you what he’s capable of in a love tale gone wrong in rural Ohio in the early 1990s. Brutal stuff.
Jimi Peranteau’s Sick tells a tale of one person’s sense of satisfaction and justification for revenge. Right off the bat you see this MC is unapologetically and wholly depraved and willing to do what he believes was deserved. Remind me not to cross this MC!
Date Night with a Germaphobe by Sarah Moon. What to say… hmmm… I’m just glad most dating doesn’t devolve into this. Talk about extreme hygiene! *gulp*
The Rocking Chair: Chuck Nasty provided an interesting novella for this anthology. It weaves multiple character threads involving a haunted/possessed rocking chair. And to think I was hoping to buy one to sit outside when I got older. Yeah, that might not be happening at this point. Very creative and enjoyable. There were character journeys in here and even though it was brutal, I appreciate that.
The anthology closes with Post-Mortem’s Depraved. Talk about the power of music. This one goes all out with the violence and the gore and a wild ride of music, mayhem, and demons!
In one of the best anthologies this group has put out to date (that I’ve read), The Butchered WritYou may THINK you know what a nightmare is, but…
In one of the best anthologies this group has put out to date (that I’ve read), The Butchered Writers collected 18 amazing tales that offer diverse approaches, content, and styles, all centering on the theme of nightmares. Full disclosure, I contributed to this anthology. So I am not going to review that, but instead focus on the other contributions.
There’s something in here for everyone, whether you’re into splatterpunk, slasher, mind-trips, or just good old-fashioned horror stories. You’ll find it in here. So here are my reactions to each of the stories in this volume:
The Ink That Binds: This anthology starts out strong with a Winona Morris story about a tattoo that brings more than just a cool piece of body art. Misery and violence and trippy-ness all packaged up in a nightmare.
Peyote: Andy H. gets quite trippy and his mind trip. Though I can’t say this plot offers a recommended way for one’s wiping of one’s bum. ...more
This was a creep tale involving aliens, and creepiness, and a Lovecraftian creature of fiendish cleverness. The Mi-Go (or at least I think it was the This was a creep tale involving aliens, and creepiness, and a Lovecraftian creature of fiendish cleverness. The Mi-Go (or at least I think it was the Mi-Go.) The story did a good job I think of building dread. It had one of the better endings I recall from one of his stories. I enjoyed it. ...more
This book will show you that humans are the cruelest creatures on earth.
Reading this book will make you realize that there can be little to no douThis book will show you that humans are the cruelest creatures on earth.
Reading this book will make you realize that there can be little to no doubt that of all the creatures inhabiting this planet (and who knows maybe even beyond our planet) that humans are the cruelest. Cruelest to other animals, the world and its resources… and—arguably—most importantly, other humans.
Playground by Aron Beauregard puts that truth front and center. And then relentlessly reinforces it throughout the 330 pages comprising this book.
This book is brutal. No doubt about it. It has brutal, graphic, disgusting, and disturbing to the extreme. But in my humble opinion, if you just focus on that or just get upset with the content, particularly the rampant harm to children, seems to me that really misses the point. Playground is not the first book dealt with graphic depiction of harm to children as the central events of the narrative. The whole Hunger Games series uses brutality against the young and the innocent and the powerless as the premise. It’s the vehicle that drives the narrative. And… to the extent that Hunger Games has elements of horror or conveys a message, seems to me—again—it’s about power. And how power—in the wrong hands—creates cruelty.
To me, Playground is another excellent illustration of how power is at the heart of horror. Especially the petty exercise of power over the powerless. Beauregard really seems, to me, really understand how power is the impetus for horror. Seems to understand it in his bones and does a pretty good job of conveying it. And the story even more aptly addresses it by illustrating how power in its various forms can create dread, fear, misery, you name it. Money, abuse while a child, physical imposition. You name it. Is Geraldine this mighty villain who shoots thunderbolts out of her fingers or rips people apart with her bare hands? No. But she has immense power and uses it for her own amusement, knowing that it creates fear in people she views as lesser beings. Showing that uglier side of humanity and what causes things like harm to children is what this book does really well. That’s what I took from it. That’s what seems like the real message. I don’t know. I could be totally off. And this isn’t me trying to be an expert or explain stuff that people live through and suffer through. It’s just my thoughts. The book has taken some heat, I realize, but to me there was a purpose to all the horrors that Beauregard was showing us.
It also tells a really good tale as to how people deal with powerlessness. This group of parents and their kids are thrown into this horrific, life or death situation where they need to band together. Do they all do that? Well… yeah… uh, no. No, they aren’t all there to see that everyone survives. There’s always some douchenozzle that tries to turn their own powerlessness into an exercise of power against someone else instead of cooperating… which adds another layer of human cruelty.
The drawings interspersed throughout the book added an enormously powerful additional element. It’s like the book is telling you that if are reading this and trying to avoid picturing certain scene in your mind, the narrative isn’t going to allow you to do that.
Another thing that struck me is how—strangely enough—how plausible this situation could be. It may seem absurd to believe someone like Geraldine would act like this. But the world we live in now and how rich and powerful act? Nah, dude. I could actually, frighteningly, see this happening. And that is utterly terrifying because how would we stop it? Anyway, I’m rambling.
There were things that I wasn’t crazy about in the book. There were a lot of idioms and metaphors. It’s also told from an omniscient POV, but kinda think you have to do that to really drive home some of the issues Beauregard tries to create with this book.
4.5/5 rounded up for the sheer bravery of taking on this content. ...more
I am a total sucker for regional horror and Waves of Green by Megan Russ certainly delivers that.
First off, I have to say that I LOVE that the bo I am a total sucker for regional horror and Waves of Green by Megan Russ certainly delivers that.
First off, I have to say that I LOVE that the book includes a map. One of the things that drives me nuts with fantasy book when it doesn’t include a map. (I know this book isn’t fantasy, but the fact Russ gives you this just adds to the local world’s mystique.)
This book takes up the world I was introduced to in the last short story of her Great Basin collection. Here we have bloodthirsty green monsters who cyclically terrorize the poor farming town of Fallon, Nevada. At first it switches time periods from 1855, where we have a brewing conflict with the new settlement and the neighboring Native American tribes, to 2025, where modern residents are gearing up for a local Ag festival all the while contending with “vandalism” in the form of (view spoiler)[graffiti like paintings that are actually warnings of all the bad stuff that’s gonna happen. (hide spoiler)] And on top of that, the monsters/aliens/you don’t know what—at first—pervades the town in subtle ways.
As this novella progresses the narrative weaves together and I really liked that. And to me, like the Shadows of the Great Basin collection, I could really see her affection for the Nevada desert. Which is also a great attribute in my mind.
Anyway, it executes an interesting writing style that I really drilled into. We get the monsters’ origin story and even there, we get (view spoiler)[the mix of tragedy and evil that makes the Gurkas what they are. (hide spoiler)]
The novella ends with a blood-soaked violent rampage with mayhem ensuing between the monsters and the modern townsfolk. It’s an action-packed ending with the suggestion that Megan Russ maybe has more in store for you in the Greenwave world.
I hope that is in fact the case because I would like to see more.
The Stones of Landane was my first Catherine Cavendish. It did not disappoint. It in fact engaged, intrigued, and
The boA very entertaining yarn.
The Stones of Landane was my first Catherine Cavendish. It did not disappoint. It in fact engaged, intrigued, and
The book starts with Jonathan going with his girlfriend Nadia to the “Stones of Landane,” a British landmark similar to its more famous cousin, Stonehenge. Nadia is excited to share her childhood and young adult fascination with the monument stones and the structures around it, some of which tourists are not allowed to enter.
They arrive. They get settled at a pub. They head over to see the stones.
Then it gets bizarre.
Jonathan sees stuff that can’t possibly be real and Nadia’s behavior is starting to freak him out.
That’s the backdrop. I can’t say a whole lot without giving away spoilers but this book was a wild ride. I found it engaging in that I learned a lot about these stone formations in England and that there is a LOT to know and even MORE that is unknown. But it had elements I didn’t expect and twisty-turny events that kept me (repeatedly) guessing and thinking and theorizing until the end unfolded and I STILL didn’t see the end coming. I love it when a book manages to do that.
I look forward to more of Catherine Cavendish’s work. 4.5/5 ...more
This book was my first John Saul book and I really liked it!
It was more thriller than horror. I'm not sure if he's mostly horror or thriller. I had thThis book was my first John Saul book and I really liked it!
It was more thriller than horror. I'm not sure if he's mostly horror or thriller. I had thought horror, but I could be wrong about that.
But what I'm not wrong about is how much of a roller-coaster this one was.
Set in a small Massachusetts town, The God Project centers around a few families and some researchers. It's a race to find out what's happening to Eastbury's kids, triggered by a SIDS tragedy very early in the book. (So that really isn't a spoiler.)
The book is set in 1982. I don't remember computers being quite as powerful as they are depicted in this book, but it was a good mix of suspense, sci-fi, thriller, and fast-paced action. It was pretty short too, so it clipped along really well.
And wow, what a twist and an ending on this one! Fantastic!
I've got a few other Saul paperbacks in my bookcase. I'm looking forward to delving in to those soon....more
I try to rate certain types of books or “niche gen Well this novella certainly lived up to its name.
And it more than lived up to my expectations.
I try to rate certain types of books or “niche genres” according to their own scales. To me, a 5-star cookbook is not the same thing as a 5-star literary novel or a 5-star romance or a 5-star memoir. I can’t really compare them to one another.
So I was pleased to read this book that fits within my extreme horror/splatterpunk/slasher books and excelled in this group.
Carnage by Jerry Blaze was an excellent example of the genre. Lots of gore, no BS filler, and just the right amount of character development so I could see who I could relate to, who I could hate, and who I wouldn’t miss when the murder’s big-ass knife made even bigger-ass wounds that spurted gore galore.
The story shifts between the perspectives and storylines of several characters, but ultimately focuses on (1) the main baddie Leslie Stone; and (2) young lovers Moth McEntire and his new love interest, Cindy. The story wends around and creates vignettes reminiscent of your favorite slasher movies made in narrative format. I found the writing itself well-constructed. It was gross, for sure, but I knew that going in and with a title like Carnage and the prominent trigger warnings, you know exactly what your in for and even knowing all that doesn’t spoil the fun. I mean that would be like pretending not to know what a Terrifier movie was going to be like when you buy your ticket.
I liked this. I want to see more of Blaze’s work. I hope you like it, too.
Maybe it is just me, but I am finding the more recently published Matt Shaw books more engaging. I’ve found most quite Sickening, yet captivating.
Maybe it is just me, but I am finding the more recently published Matt Shaw books more engaging. I’ve found most quite entertaining and good, short horror reads. The last two or three, however, seem to have an emotional evolution to them I didn’t see in some of the earlier works I’ve read. I suppose that’s only natural. But I saw that same deeper emotional component to Patchwork. And it made it that much more enjoyable.
In this book, as the blurb states, a husband and wife suffer horrible tragedy that “robs [the MC’s] wife of her beauty.” What follows is a twisted tale that is part concern, love, dedication, fear, and absolute sociopathy that develops (the latter based on my personal reading of what the husband does to help the wife).
I liked how I could feel Jack, the husband’s desperation and through him, Tina’s complete despair. Their situation throughout the book makes that feeling relatable, although Jack’s and Tina’s ‘solution’… maybe a bit less relatable. Or is it? Who knows. But I could see very clearly how they got to that point.
There was another nuance that really intrigued me towards the end. Throughout the whole book, (view spoiler)[Jack is trying to convince Tina he loves her and he remains dedicated to her. To allay her fears, he keeps telling her she’s beautiful and that in his mind, he’s 100% genuine. He really does still love her, despite the changes in her appearance and her attitude/demeanor. Jack gets frustrated because he feels like Tina isn’t listening to him when he tries to assure her he’s in it for the long haul, loves her, and finds her beautiful. But… There’s a dialogue exchange on this point where Jack tries to convince her they don’t need to do these specific things:
Jack: ‘You don’t even need to do this,’ I told her, not that I minded seeing her like this. ‘I love you as you are.’
Tina: ‘This is not for you, but for me…’
It made me wonder, because I think it comes up with some regularity in marriage. Who’s really not listening to whom? Isn’t it really more of a matter of Jack not listening to Tina, I wonder. And I also wonder if that was an intentional development in the book trying to get people to think about that sort of thing. This sort of issue can come up in a marriage, I think. (hide spoiler)].
Anyway, I understand that maybe there’s a movie for this book in the works. That would be intriguing to see. I’ll have to see if I can keep abreast of that issue. ...more
This book had the unfortunate honor of being the Shaw book I read after The Dreams They Weave. That one was truly moving to me. But with To Face Your This book had the unfortunate honor of being the Shaw book I read after The Dreams They Weave. That one was truly moving to me. But with To Face Your Fears, (view spoiler)[once you know the premise of the story -- which is quite early in the book -- there isn't much that you can't predict. I was 99% sure I knew how it is going going to end. And then it did. (hide spoiler)]
Don't get me wrong. The writing is good. It was gruesome and had entertaining inner monologue and the voice of the main character. And I most certainly will read more and more and more of his books. Just this one wasn't my favorite....more
Frankenstein was first published in 1818. My admittedly very brief Google research indicates that some other fiction novels published between 1813 andFrankenstein was first published in 1818. My admittedly very brief Google research indicates that some other fiction novels published between 1813 and 1818 include (1) Pride and Prejudice (along with a bunch of Jane Austen novels by the look of it; (2) Rob Roy; and (3) Nightmare Abbey.
The only one I could find that was even close was the Grimm's Fairy Tales and those were 1812 and not exactly the same sort of story. Ivanhoe was 1819. So that is a slice of the literary context leading up to Frankenstein.
And that gave me greater appreciation for this masterwork of loss, love, the nature of what it is to be human, evil, goodness, and whole slew of other stuff. I read this as a kid and candidly didn't really absorb a lot of it. I'm glad I read it now in middle age. I'm guessing this is one of those books that gets even better with subsequent re-readings. ...more