Originally published at Cemetery Dance Feb. 5th https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/... Last year, if I talked about highly anticipated novels in 2020,Originally published at Cemetery Dance Feb. 5th https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/... Last year, if I talked about highly anticipated novels in 2020, The Boatman’s Daughter was at the top of my list. This is Bram Stoker Award finalist Andy Davidson’s second novel. His debut, In the Valley of the Sun (2017) was one of the best books I read last year.
Sometimes when I love a book so much, I worry about the follow-up novel not meeting that high standard set by the predecessor. In the case of Davidson, there was not a doubt in my mind he would write something equally fantastic.
The Boatman’s Daughter is a greasy, magical, Southern Gothic fable. Davidson pens a vivid backdrop for his colorful characters to come alive and draw the reader into an eerie supernatural thriller. The protagonist, twenty-one year old Miranda Crabtree, wins your heart as she navigates the Bayou of the American South. She’s a smuggler, running goods on her ferry for an unstable employer and charismatic preacher named Billy Cotton. Cotton’s backstory reads like a Grimm fairytale; better left unspoken in a review in order to preserve reader discovery.
Miranda encounters a variety of obstacles as she struggles to uphold moral integrity and appease her inner sense of justice in her chaotic environment. I absolutely love her. She is unpredictable and made some interesting choices along the way, but she was also relatable—acting on her emotions and disobeying orders from authority figures.
Davidson’s storytelling voice is bewitching. The story has a magnetic hold on its audience—making it virtually impossible to stop turning the pages. I was amazed at the depth of character Davidson assigns to all the major players in this story. They all have unique voices, motivations and agendas adding a rich complexity to the story that is wildly entertaining.
There is a strong visual imagery to his world building—the reader can “see” every scene play out in full color. Davidson employs descriptions of sight, textures, smells, sounds—anything in order to paint the picture vividly for the reader. It’s an immersive experience I won’t soon forget. Fans of supernatural, southern gothic horror should find this book completely satisfying. Andy Davidson is a master storyteller....more
Sometimes, in the genre of horror, a reviewer stumbles upon a dark, glistening vein in the granite of horror. Maybe the reviewer reads a book from a sSometimes, in the genre of horror, a reviewer stumbles upon a dark, glistening vein in the granite of horror. Maybe the reviewer reads a book from a specific indie press and enjoys it so much, they find themselves reading other books they have to offer. Or maybe the reviewer finds an author and they run in a circle of like-minded authors who do collaborative work—so the reviewer finds not just one new favorite author, but several!
I found Aaron Dries in one of the aforementioned dark veins in the granite. Being the excitable and curious reader that I am, I bought myself some of his books. A Place for Sinners entices you with an intriguing premise; boiled down it amounts to the simplest of tropes: A traveling experience to the jungles of Thailand goes terribly wrong.
But what I thought I was signing up for is not at all what I experienced. No, my friends…this novel is so much more than I bargained for.
The reader is invited to go on a journey with the main protagonist, Amity Collins. It is Amity we first read about when she’s only seven years old, and it is Amity the reader will feel most at home and at ease with. Several other characters will travel in and out of the narrative, bringing with them their own, unique POV, but the reader won’t desire to live there. It was refreshing to me to discover that the author knows that.
Aaron Dries gave me a home base, a safe place in Amity Collins. This is important because there are characters in this book that are unsafe. Dangerous. Horribly, horribly disturbing people. I was struck multiple times, almost like a slap in the face, with Dries’ unflinching prose.
There is one line that is so messed up at its core, and delivered with such casual elegance, that I almost missed it until it started glowing in my brain like a neon sign and I was forced to go back and read the line again. I would gasp out loud, “What?” My eyes would dart back and forth, reading that one line over and over—trying to wrap my mind around it—but such evil utterances don’t give more details or explanations. They just are what they are and they stick in your side like a thorn. As I went deeper and deeper into this book, I became a collector of these painful thorns.
What begins as a cathartic adventure to Thailand for Amity and her brother Caleb comes apart at the seams, ultimately ripping open into sheer madness. I’m not exaggerating when I express to you that A Place for Sinners is one thousand different ways to be scared. Everything from wild animals to insects and sociopathic serial killers to isolation. Aaron’s wheelhouse is submerging his reader into the atmosphere of his novel—in this case, a suffocating jungle setting—while simultaneously preying on your worst psychological fears. Needless to say, I was anxious and unhinged emotionally the entire time I read this book.
My only real criticism is that some of the action sequences were disorienting. A few times there were two POVs in dueling streams of consciousness and it was difficult for me to find my footing and understand what I was reading. I longed for a reliable narrator to swoop in and give me a logical telling of what was happening. But again, that speaks to the full submersion the reader experiences—almost drowning in the dark prose and chaos.
It’s my recommendation that if you are a seasoned horror reader looking for something unusual that will knock you on your ass, this is the book for you. I promise that you haven’t read anything like this story, ever....more
Review originally published at Cemetery Dance Sept. 23rd, 2019
The cover of A Lush and Seething Hell depicts two figures standing in some brambles; a dReview originally published at Cemetery Dance Sept. 23rd, 2019
The cover of A Lush and Seething Hell depicts two figures standing in some brambles; a darkness looms behind them, above them, all around them. It’s a menacing tower of darkness bearing down, but also rising up. Upon closer inspection, the figures aren’t so much standing as they are cowering.
I know because I stared at the cover and the title for awhile before I ventured past it to get at the meaty insides. And it’s that posture of cowering I remembered after I finished this book.
There are two stories that make up A Lush and Seething Hell. The first is titled “The Sea Dreams it is the Sky,” and it’s about a poet named Rafael Avendano, also mysteriously known as The Eye, who strikes up a casual friendship with a woman named Isabel. They realize they have a lot in common and their relationship deepens. For the reader, Jacobs writes with so much attention to detail, it’s impossible to remember that what is unfolding are fictional events. I kept wanting to reach for my phone and Google “Rafael Avendano” so that I could read more about his life and poetry.
As a side note here, graphic scenes of torture are difficult for me and at some point in the story, Avendano finds himself in the hands of his enemies. What happens to him is so graphic and told in such an unflinching manner, I might have shied away from it, but Jacobs lured me in with describing Avendano’s mental escape into oblivion. There was this beauty to what was happening inside this poet—that even the cruelty he was experiencing physically couldn’t strip him of what was happening in his mind. I hope that makes sense. It does when I read it back to myself.
Eventually, Isabel and Rafael’s narratives experience a shocking confluence that leaves the reader suspended in mind-reeling bliss. I read one scene over and over again because it was just so powerful. It captured my imagination and lead me into a long spell of thoughtfulness. I couldn’t fully get my brain around it until I gave myself more time with it.
I came away from this story with a nasty, bookish hangover…the only cure? Jacob’s second story (and my favorite of the two) “My Heart Struck Sorrow.” This is the story of a librarian weighed down by grief and guilt. He goes on this assignment with a coworker to an estate left in their company’s possession by a philanthropist who has passed away. They find a long forgotten room filled with recordings and journals. As a lover of horror fiction, I get excited about stories with found footage/files—one of my favorite subgenres. The narrative splits into two at this point, with our present-day protagonist becoming immersed in the discovery of these forgotten memoirs and the tale that he’s reading about: Two men in the 1930s are commissioned by the Library of Congress to travel around America collecting the songs of the people for posterity. Folk songs. One song in particular catches their attention.
I’m not going to sugarcoat the facts here—this story terrified me. This song that keeps coming up and the strange events that happen after it is sung and listened to—it’s unnerving. Again, I was captivated by Jacobs’ storytelling style and his impressive use of specific details, which really must come from his extensive research. I kept experiencing this inability to remember that what I was reading was fiction. This illusion adds to the bone chilling nature of the story. I loved this novella. It’s one of my favorites now. I will be recommending this one a lot and keeping an eye on anything John Hornor Jacobs releases in the future. ...more
This review was originally posted online August 19th, 2019 for Cemetery Dance The Fearing is an epic, apocalyptic horror story by “King of Pain” John FThis review was originally posted online August 19th, 2019 for Cemetery Dance The Fearing is an epic, apocalyptic horror story by “King of Pain” John F. D. Taff, told over the course of multiple, individual book installments published by Grey Matter Press. Book One is titled Fire & Rain, which I reviewed for Cemetery Dance in June. Here’s a quote from the review:
And this is where Taff is a damn genius. He proves time and time again that in just a few pages, in just one scene, he can manipulate the feelings of his readers and make us care about these people on the page like THAT *snaps fingers*. It’s this reader’s opinion that well-developed characters are essential to good horror, resulting in emotional engagement with the story. I can’t be scared or moved to feel anything if I’m indifferent about the people going through even the most well-written scenes of terror. I just want to care. I go into every book wanting to have my emotions manipulated by the author. It’s the great exchange.
Book Two: Water & Wind begins by introducing a new character. By the end of chapter one, Taff already leads me into a relationship with Reverend Mark Hubert. The narrative quickly transitions away from Mark, waiting out a horrific storm in some storage room of his church to pick up where we left off with characters from Book One— but I’m already eager to get back to Mark. What will happen to him?
We get to revisit our trio of teenagers, Carli, Kyle, and Sarah, as well as the older people on the bus: Rich, Wanda, Marcia, Glen, and Charles. I’m literally remembering these people’s names off the top of my head while I write this review because they’re so real to me. I love these people.
In this second, slim installment, we learn some theories about the storm and what the characters are experiencing, and we spend time with our antagonists, Adam and Jelnik. But this isn’t just fluff or filler—Taff is definitely gunning for our hearts as he exposes his characters to us through meaningful dialog, internal struggles and physical/mental anguish. By the end of Book Two, I’m already experiencing a reader’s hangover—saddened by my separation from my fictional friends while we wait for the Book Three. This is the story of the century.
And while some might be hesitant to jump in—maybe you’re thinking you’ll wait until all of the books are out to go on this journey—might I suggest to you that this is an experience quite unlike reading a story all the way through at your convenience; you get to be in control of how far you’ll go. Enjoying The Fearing one installment at a time is throwing yourself at the mercy of the “King of Pain” and I, for one, wouldn’t have it any other way. ...more
Review originally posted on Cemetery Dance Sept. 24th, 2019 https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/... Did Scott Thomas peek inside our horror-loving braiReview originally posted on Cemetery Dance Sept. 24th, 2019 https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/... Did Scott Thomas peek inside our horror-loving brains while we weren’t looking and use what he found there to write the most appealing book just for us? He might have. In fact, the more I sit here with all my review notes, the more I’m convinced he overheard us talking about all our favorite things to read about and he used ALL OF THEM in this one book: Violet.
Of course, I’m kidding. It’s abundantly clear that Scott Thomas just intuitively knows what horror fans want. His debut novel, Kill Creek, is evidence of that.
Last year, Kill Creek descended upon us like a madman wielding a knife. There was nothing any of us could do but willingly fall victim to the story—let it swallow us whole and leave us wanting more. Violet could very well be the most anticipated horror novel of 2019, and with such high expectations, is it even possible Scott Thomas could deliver? It’s this reader’s opinion that he more than delivered—he managed to set the bar even higher.
Violet opens with the description of an idyllic small town named Pacington. It might not be the wholesome, quaint vacation destination it appears to be. Perhaps something sinister resides here. As soon as we meet our protagonist, Kris Barlow, and her story begins to unfold, I got some serious slow-burning, gothic horror vibes.
Kris is a woman suffering through immense emotional trauma and grief. She is taking an extended holiday away from work to bring her daughter Sadie to her childhood summer house in Pacington. To the average reader, this doesn’t sound like a recipe for Kris to wind up with sustained mental health and well-being, but to the seasoned horror fan, this is the perfect set up for delicious horror. An unstable protagonist trying to overcome the nightmarish pain of unbearable grief in a suspicious town with a dark past? Unputdownable nightmare fuel.
This is where I must talk about how satisfying it is to read about characters restoring old, abandoned, spooky buildings. It is pure joy to read about the floors getting scrubbed clean, cobwebs coming down, windows getting washed—all the while knowing in the back of your mind that none of this surface-level restoration can fix a paranormal infestation or mental disrepair.
But it is entertaining to be a fly on the wall as the characters seem very distracted by all their hard work. The creeping dread and tension continue to grow, fester, and rot around the edges of this story until the reader is held in captivated suspension until the very last page. Violet has some of the most compelling storytelling I’ve read in a long time.
My favorite parts are when Kris and Sadie venture into town to get ice cream or make a trip to the bookstore—the encounters she has with the locals are like gathering up the author’s breadcrumbs. I savored every bit of mystery and intrigue.
Is it too soon to start pining away for the next Scott Thomas book? Not for this fan. I’m here for whatever fresh horror this author conjures up for his readers....more
3.5! Rounded up for Goodreads. Review originally posted to Cemetery Dance on August 8th, 2019 If you enjoy keeping up with all the new releases in horr3.5! Rounded up for Goodreads. Review originally posted to Cemetery Dance on August 8th, 2019 If you enjoy keeping up with all the new releases in horror, then no doubt you heard about 2018’s The Nightmare Room by Chris Sorensen. Book #1 of the Messy Man series received a warm welcome from the horror industry with glowing reviews across the board from multiple sources, including me! I loved The Nightmare Room. having this to say about it:
…a really well written haunted house story that’s easy to follow and scary enough to leave the light on or read during the day. I loved it! This is a must have for your horror collection. For me, part of the excitement of picking up The Nightmare Room was knowing that it was the first book in a series. I love the idea of a good horror series that spans over several books. It’s fun to anticipate a return to a storyline I enjoyed or revisit characters to see what will happen to them next.
Book #2, The Hungry Ones, continues the Messy Man series. This is where I’m going to make the recommendation that readers must read The Nightmare Room first, as I don’t believe that The Hungry Ones makes for a standalone novel. There is so much crossover from the first book with little to no flashbacks or anything to help refresh a reader’s memory. I made the mistake of just jumping right in having not read Book #1 in about a year. Also, this book spoils some pretty big reveals from The Nightmare Room.
The first part of the book introduces some new characters and starts telling the story of a woman named Jessie Voss.
Jessie, with the help of a lively and hilarious friend named Steph, invests some money in an abandoned roadside motel that has seen better days and was the location of a brutal act of violence. I have a real affinity for “fixer-upper” stories. I love reading stories about people renovating a neglected farmhouse or giving a new lease on life to a dilapidated business, so this part of the book, where Jessie is painting, cleaning and restoring this old motel, was a huge hook for me. There are several teasers of something residing at the motel, maybe even suggesting that the motel is haunted, but Jessie is the kind of girl that isn’t easily rattled.
A few characters show up while Jessie is preparing for her grand opening. I didn’t immediately catch on that some of the characters who ask to rent a room from Jessie are from the first book—this made for some missed opportunities for me early on and later, when I finally figured it out, I actually had to go back to re-read from when they first make an appearance and then catch up again to where I left off. So again, I will highlight the importance of reading The Nightmare Room.
Towards the middle of the book, I found that I was questioning myself quite often. Wondering if I was forgetting some important details from Book #1 because, as I continued reading, I couldn’t shake the feeling like I was missing something. I was a little confused and disoriented. There were these isolated chapters written in italics that interrupted the flow of the present day drama unfolding and each time I read through one of those chapters, I would feel more confused.
There was also a storyline about these strange phone calls that would come in on a landline and the characters would have these odd, choppy conversations with the person on the other line. Every time this would happen I felt like maybe this was a clue or something from the original plotline that I missed. But apart from some clunkiness due to my forgetfulness, I had an awesome time at the Crossroads Motel. Chris Sorensen’s wheelhouse is writing authentic, realistic encounters with the paranormal. The Hungry Ones is full of unsettling scenes with people in real life coming face-to-face with unexplained phenomena. The careful, descriptive details are what make these scenes so chilling and engaging.
I absolutely love Sorensen’s narrative style. So even though I found book two to be difficult to navigate and I had trouble finding my footing, all of the things that make Sorensen a great writer kept me turning the pages until the end. I’m excited to read book three, The Messy Man, which was advertised in the back of the book. More Whisper and more Mr. Tell. Yes!...more
Review originally appeared at Cemetery Dance: June 28th, 2019 “Boys have scars”, he thought. “Some of them fade—and others don’t. Some scars stay with Review originally appeared at Cemetery Dance: June 28th, 2019 “Boys have scars”, he thought. “Some of them fade—and others don’t. Some scars stay with us for life.”—Brian Keene, Ghoul
Even though this book was originally published some years ago, stories this good are timeless and a well-written book can find its audience yesterday, today and tomorrow. Ghoul will now join the ranks of my favorite coming-of-age horror tales. And I know what some of you are thinking right now, “We know all about Brian Keene and Ghoul, Sadie. You’re a little late to the party!”
But hear me, my friends: I’m a bookish introvert and I’m always late to the party, if I even show up at all—so good for you that you read this forever ago, but even better for me that I got to read it in this season of my horror-fiction-loving-lifestyle right now!
The premise is a good one: Three twelve-year-old boys are looking forward to spending the summer in their hidden fort, eating junk food, reading comics and talking about girls. Things are going according to plan until the boys are faced with having to battle monsters—both real life monsters in their own homes and an ancient terror that has taken up residence in their town’s cemetery: a ghoul.
The reason I love coming-of-age horror so much is that it’s such a definitive, epic time in each one of our lives. When you’re twelve years old, everything seems larger than life and even the smallest drama can feel like the end of the world. Young adults are the perfect protagonists for a horror story because even though they are growing into adulthood and learning how to make decisions for themselves, so much of their existence depends on the adults in their lives. If something paranormal, supernatural, extraterrestrial or demonic threatens their lives, they have to tell the adults and they are NEVER believed! It’s so frustrating! If I’ve learned anything really important from coming-of-age horror, it’s that children are always to be believed—even if they tell you that there is a glowing, naked ghoul hell-bent on impregnating women in its subterranean lair under the town cemetery!
But even worse than this horny, corpse-eating ghoul is the home lives of two of the protagonists, Doug and Barry. I won’t go into detail because that’s part of the intimate reader’s discovery that I don’t want to spoil for anyone desiring to pick this up for the first time. But honestly, you’ll go into this book expecting a creature-feature offering only blood and carnage, but you close the book with tears in your eyes and your heart torn in two and a hollow feeling in your guts, meaning you’ve experienced some real feelings.
Brian Keene took me on a journey with Ghoul, and it was visceral and painful and emotional and I’ll never forget it. Truly, an amazing introduction to his writing. I’m so thankful for all of Keene’s fans that pointed me to this book. They knew exactly which one of his works would cement Keene as a new favorite for me and they were so right.
I can’t wait to go on many more dark journeys from Keene’s mind. This is only the beginning, and if you, fellow horror fiction lover, haven’t gone on those journeys yet either and you want to join me, let’s do so together. It’s this reader’s opinion you start with Ghoul. ...more
I'm really looking forward to writing up my review for Cemetery Dance. I have so many feelings! So many thoughts! I'm actually dying inside that this I'm really looking forward to writing up my review for Cemetery Dance. I have so many feelings! So many thoughts! I'm actually dying inside that this book is scheduled to be released in 3 more parts after this one--trust me, when you finish book one, there will be a book-sized hole in your heart where the rest of the story should be. Anyhoodles, Recommending for fans of epic, apocalyptic horror like The Stand and Swan Song. Also people who love characters you can latch on to--stories that ignite your drive to binge read! Okay, shutting up. More later. Full review soon! (I think Book One comes out early July)...more
Imagine me standing up on the roof of my house right now, horror fans surround me everywhere. I grab a beer in one hand, no, make that a margarita on Imagine me standing up on the roof of my house right now, horror fans surround me everywhere. I grab a beer in one hand, no, make that a margarita on the rocks, and a megaphone in the other hand. "HORROR FANS" I address the crowd. "YOU NEED TO BE READING THE SHORT STORIES OF JASON SECHREST!" At this point, I feel like the megaphone is hurting people's ears so I just shout down into the eager faces looking up at me. I suspect that some of them just want to watch me fall off my house. "Listen to me. I read a short story earlier about this old man on a long road with all these emotions and this awesome ending. I rated it 5 stars. Then, Jason sent me a link to another one of his stories called THE POOL and I read it in less than an hour because it's short, right? It's short but OH MY GAWD! How does he do this?? First of all, Jason's storytelling voice is so natural. It's so compelling. Like you instantly feel your reader's brain shutting out the distractions and slipping into optimum reading enjoyment zone. You know that zone?? It's immediate. Then, the story begins to unfold and you're just like captivated by this character and these events and this character's drive to have this pool. Then Sechrest flips the tables on you. He just *flip* turns this thing on its head and you're literally staring at the screen like, WHAT DID I JUST READ?? Then you jump on your roof and you tell everyone they better be reading this guy's stories because HOLY HELL! If you're not reading them now, you will be. Because this author is going to light it up. So do yourself a favor and start now? You have to maybe subscribe to his Patreon or something. I don't know. Do whatever it takes. Mother Horror is going to finish her margarita."...more
Congratulations to author Kiersten White for winning the 2018 Stoker Award for Best YA Horror novel! You can soon read my full review/experience of my Congratulations to author Kiersten White for winning the 2018 Stoker Award for Best YA Horror novel! You can soon read my full review/experience of my reading of this novel when it's published to Cemetery Dance! Coming Soon. https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/...
What a treat that a signed hardback copy of this book showed up in my mailbox just a few weeks before I learned that Kiersten White had won the 2018 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a YA Horror novel. Hearing such glowing reviews made me eager to read this popular retelling of a classic, horror favorite.
Seventeen-year-old orphan Elizabeth Lavenza finds herself rescued from a life of uncertainty when she is given to a wealthy family in the hopes that she will be a comrade for their unusual son, Victor Frankenstein. White tells the story of this exchange through Elizabeth’s real time narrative and periodic flashbacks.
I enjoyed how the story snippets from the past consistently closed the gap between the drama that was currently unfolding and the circumstances that led up to them. I have read Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein twice and I’m a huge fan of the 1930s movie, so I’m familiar with the story. It was a pleasant surprise that even devout fans of Frankenstein could read this story and feel like it had originality and a fresh perspective.
Almost immediately I started developing some theories as to what was going on, and these guesses kept my curiosity piqued as I rabidly turned the pages to see if my hunch was correct.
Our main protagonist, Elizabeth, is complicated. In some ways, her flaws irritate the reader. She seems preoccupied with her own self-preservation to the point of playing the fool for Victor just to keep her good standing with the Frankenstein family. But in other ways, I admire her resolve and her determination to boldly pursue that which she truly wants.
Victor Frankenstein is a gothic horror lover’s dream character! I absolutely devoured all the scenes he was in. His character arc is expertly evolved over the span of the novel. We get to make discoveries about Victor only through his closest confidant and partner, Elizabeth. It’s fascinating to experience all of Victor’s narcissism through Elizabeth’s naiveté and patiently wait for something to happen that will change the entire course of the story. It’s that tension between what the reader already knows to be true and what the characters still need to find out that makes this book hard to put down.
My only complaint was that there were a few chapters that felt like filler—a little bit of a long detour that doubled back just to return to the same point of climax. Also, I wish some more time was spent in Victor’s laboratories, but I do understand the focus was intentionally on Elizabeth this time. White did a great job writing interesting characters; even the supporting ones like Justine, Henry and Mary were given unique personalities and voices.
I loved the ending, the epilogue and the author’s notes. Kiersten White is a delight and I can’t wait to read another of her books....more
I was lucky enough to receive a signed, review copy of MUSE by James Renner. This book will be available as a signed, limited edition hardcover this MI was lucky enough to receive a signed, review copy of MUSE by James Renner. This book will be available as a signed, limited edition hardcover this May from Cemetery Dance.
I did a little digging around on James Renner since this is my first time encountering his work. I was impressed when I learned that James is best known as a prolific, true-crime journalist. After reading MUSE, a sleek horror novella, I believe Mr. Renner's journalism skills and background in true-crime serves to enhance his storytelling ability. This was a captivating read from the very beginning. The synopsis is deliciously vague--something about some tape recordings and a double missing person's case--the possibility is that we, the readers, will read the transcriptions of said tapes and learn the story behind the disappearances. Oooo, sounds fun, right? It was. I'm taking into consideration that this is one of the earliest reviews of this story and I don't want to give away any exciting reader discoveries (and there are plenty!). I will recommend that fans of Hardboiled, Crime-Noir should pick this up. Fans of classic horror fiction should pick this up (see the antique box on the cover with the menacing tentacle? *nodding my head* your suspicions are correct! Shhhh...) Also, do you just love a sarcastic, witty, foul-mouthed, racist detective that finds himself in the worst possible situations and you absolutely love watching how in the hell he will manage to get himself out of sticky situations? You do? Me too! I would *love* for Renner to do more of these kinds of stories. He has a keen handle on dialog and language that made me feel like I was watching an old black & white movie where everyone is wearing trench coats and fedoras. I was constantly snickering at the "take no shit" attitude and the wise-assery from our protagonist. Love, love, that. Lastly, the story. For being just over 100 pages, this was an expansive storyline--covering many locations and introducing a big cast of memorable characters. I had so much fun reading this story and I honestly think that most horror fans would enjoy this one too--I can't wait to have some discussions about this book so hit me up on social media if you've read it!...more
You guys all know that I just adore short stories. You also know that I'm utter trash for a short, HORROR story with heart. I saw Jason Sechrest tweet You guys all know that I just adore short stories. You also know that I'm utter trash for a short, HORROR story with heart. I saw Jason Sechrest tweet that he had this short story published today (March 1st, 2019) and I just had to see if the story was as fetching as that cover! (I also love a well designed cover). This story's protagonist is George Tinker--a somewhat grumpy old man that mumbles aloud to his dead wife, Martha. I love when a short story immediately brings a character to life and gets me invested. Sechrest clearly takes to heart the old Stephen King adage that, "Good books don't give all their secrets at once." The author takes his time unpacking the all the emotions buried in this tale. Vivid descriptive language paints the perfect backdrop to this touching snapshot of a man pondering his life at the end of the road. One of those short stories that's so much meatier and weighty than the total sum of its pages. I hope Jason has more! ...more
I'm glad I bought the limited, exclusive cover, signed edition from Cemetery Dance. This one is HORROR, full stop! Malerman is not dancing the line or sI'm glad I bought the limited, exclusive cover, signed edition from Cemetery Dance. This one is HORROR, full stop! Malerman is not dancing the line or skirting the edges, he's square in the middle of traditional horror. PEARL is a Creature/Monster/Animal horror story about an unusual pig. Where Wilbur was "some pig" and an asset to his family farm in CHARLOTTE'S WEB, Pearl the Pig is an absolute terror. Pearl is a large, male pig with telekinetic power and a "bad eye" which is actually his "good eye". You'll see. One day, an unfortunate incident on the family farm starts a vicious chain of events. It's quite literally an unfathomable nightmare. I read this entire book gripping the edges. I could feel my eyes widening in shock and awe. I had no idea how Malerman was able to induce so much fear from a story about an evil pig, but he managed it alright! When I read Chapter 27 last night before bed, I was pretty unnerved. Does your reader brain ever get fixated on one scary sentence and you find that your eyes will pour over the words again and again? It's almost like the scarier the sentence, the more infatuated I am with it. There were some very disturbing images Malerman described with precise details. They sorta stuck in my head as I turned out the light. I love those creepy book feelings that linger long after you've set the book down!
I do have a couple of nagging, little details I need to highlight though because they are worth mentioning and for the sake of other readers, I must tell you: I have this pet peeve with invented slang words and phrases. Similar to "Hell's Heaven" or "Pig Shit!" in UNBURY CAROL, Malerman uses some funky words and phrases that stand out: "Jebus" "Pukin" and "nuckin futz" (I've heard this one before. It's letter swapping fuckin' nuts). But they weren't used as often in the dialog as they were in UNBURY. So nothing to get too excited about but it's one of those things where you're either going to get bugged by it or you're not and they kind of bug me. A literary device that Malerman uses that's very unique to him is these "stream of consciousness" style inner monologues that I love! Some readers may encounter them and have difficulty with them because they're so different, but I really love the way the characters talk to themselves in their brain and weird thoughts pop in and out--it feels like how our real brains work with all these thought segments overlapping and interrupting each other. Really cool. Lastly, the end was a little weird for me. I'm not entirely sure if I missed something or not but I loved all the chaos and craziness in the last handful of chapters. This one was really compelling, scary, and original. Highly recommend....more
In 1990-1993 I was a skater girl groupie. I wore high-top Converse sneakers, ripped jeans, a flannel shirt tied around my waist and garage band tees. In 1990-1993 I was a skater girl groupie. I wore high-top Converse sneakers, ripped jeans, a flannel shirt tied around my waist and garage band tees. After school and on the weekends, the boys would skate and a few other girls and I would watch. They let us sit on their old boards and we would smoke weed or cigarettes and laugh when the boys ate it and cheer when they landed something.
We listened to The Dead Kennedys, NOFX, the Sex Pistols and the Pixies (theme song: “Where is My Mind”). So when I say that I could immediately relate to Chad Lutzke’s coming-of-age novella, The Same Deep Water As You, it is because I lived that lifestyle and in that same era.
The style and momentum of Chad’s writing in Deep Water reads like a personal diary—reminiscent of his recent release, Skullface Boy. It’s instantly accessible, readable, engaging and authentic. Chad breathes so much life into his narrator, Jex. He feels like a boy I knew. A boy all of us knew or know or could know, because that’s what Chad does so well. He writes like a man possessed by his characters—characters who need to bleed out their story on the page. And not just the narrator Jex, but Jessica’s story and Toni’s story…all of their stories. The teenagers here have vulnerabilities, struggles, confessions and insecurities that Chad draws out of them; plumbing their depths like a deep, deep well.
The reader has a gut-wrenching invitation to either fully engage with the text and risk utter emotional ruin and heart breakage, or tap out. Of course, I never tap out and the result is that I finish with all these feelings and tears and the daunting task of knowing that I will write how much I love these tales with nothing but words.
But I can try. I can try to impress upon you that in just over one hundred pages, Lutzke takes a little ball of yarn and unravels it one chapter at a time revealing a little more, and then a little more of what is nestled in the very center of the fuzzy, yarn ball. Young love, bad decisions, tragedy, comedy, hope, fears, lust—all these threads spooling out into a pile at your feet. Then, towards the end, it all comes together—Chad’s message that was there all along. He just needed your participation along the way so that when the message is delivered, you feel it. This one hurts (just like so many of Chad’s little stories) but it’s what we all keep coming back for—this paper package of humanity with a pretty cover and a poetic title and the name Chad Lutzke....more
This review originally published on Cemetery Dance (April 29th, 2019)
“I’m terrible at remembering plot and character specifics…if the story is successThis review originally published on Cemetery Dance (April 29th, 2019)
“I’m terrible at remembering plot and character specifics…if the story is successful, what I do remember and will never forget is what and how that story makes me feel.”—Paul Tremblay in the “Notes” of Growing Things.
Thank goodness Paul Tremblay kindly bestowed some Author’s Notes upon his readers in the end pages for Growing Things. I was not ready to let go! I needed Paul’s conversational and personal commentary on each story—almost like I had been on a long journey, the boat had docked and Paul was there to carefully guide his readers as they stepped off the boat to stand on solid land again.
Part of the sentimentality was from Paul’s carefully crafted ordering of the stories. It’s this reader’s recommendation that this collection needs to be read in order. Don’t skip about. It’s not for any reasons other than emotionally; the stories follow a cycle and it’s best to have the same beginning and ending experience as everyone else. I hope that makes sense. I’m trying not to diminish any reader discoveries by oversharing.
I also recommend finishing a story and then flipping to the end, to the Notes, to read what Paul has to say about what you just read. To shed light on what you just encountered. After the first and title story, I was so excited and captivated by what I had just discovered I felt like I needed someone else in the world to freak out with! (Paul’s notes satisfied that urge to have a discussion.)
As the journey continued, I took note of all the experimental narratives, story formatting and literary devices. It’s almost like over the years, Paul Tremblay has had all these fantastic ideas rattling around in his writer brain and this is the collection where he got to try them all out! I really wish I could tell you some of the unique aspects of my favorite stories but to tell you that would be to spoil some of the fun surprises that you should be able to experience for yourself. I just want to tell you that “The Teacher” was intense. “A Haunted House is a Wheel Upon Which Some Are Broken” was strange, powerful and engaging. “It Won’t Go Away” was unsettling and disturbing. “Notes From the Dog Walkers” was a slow build to madness. Madness I tell you! Shock and awe!
“It’s Against the Laws to Feed the Ducks” was upsetting and even beautiful in its sadness. Lastly, I can’t even really talk about “The Thirteenth Temple.” I was super emotional about that story—lots of tears, a knot in my stomach and an odd feeling of closure. Again, thankful for the notes after that particular story.
I just want to urge anyone reading this review to preorder (Update: July 2nd, 2019 AVAILABLE NOW!) this book and then read it straight away. This is one of those books that people will talk about and you just don’t want to be late to the party. Mother Horror is trying her very best to encourage you NOT TO BE LATE TO THE PARTY! I savored my time in these pages—even though some of the stories had been released previously elsewhere, they were all new to me and I treasured every word.
A short story collection from a favorite author is just the best possible thing in the world; Growing Things is among the best of them....more
Original review posted at Cemetery Dance April 15th, 2019
2019 is the year of Jonathan Janz. There. I said it. Flame Tree Press performed the remarkablOriginal review posted at Cemetery Dance April 15th, 2019
2019 is the year of Jonathan Janz. There. I said it. Flame Tree Press performed the remarkable act of acquiring his previously released titles and then doling them out to us on a pretty aggressive schedule, which is an impressive gesture all on its own…but wait! There’s more. Flame Tree is also releasing new titles from Janz.
Like I said, this is the year of Jonathan Janz and an incredibly exciting time to be a fan. If you haven’t had the pleasure of picking up one of his books, now is the time, my horror loving friends. The Dark Game was my eighth Janz book and it’s one of his new releases. In this story, Janz polishes up a favorite genre trope: a select few are invited to stay at a wealthy—and potentially sinister—host’s home to play a game.
Roderick Wells is a prolific author who invites up-and-coming authors to his estate for a writers retreat/competition. The writer who can endure Wells’ unorthodox methods and scathing humiliation will win a monetary prize, bragging rights and a contract with a New York publisher.
This is a large cast of characters, with the sinister host and his wife plus the ten authors invited to play, but Janz puts his writing skills to work right away, developing characters and giving them unique backstories and voices. I had no trouble keeping everyone straight.
The short chapters help to keep the pace of the story moving at just the right speed. Somewhere around the middle of the book, I realized that the first two parts consists of building and setting up so that when parts three through five come, Janz can tear everything down, strip it back and lay it bare. It was very effective storytelling. I particularly enjoyed the different literary devices like character monologues, diary entries, and all the different excerpts of the stories the authors were writing. It gave the reader a hundred different ways to get to know important details of the character’s pasts without clunky info dumps.
If you’re like me, you’re a reader who enjoys stories involving writers. When an author tells a story involving a writer, it forces that 4th wall to come down and reveal insight into the real life and mind of the writer—perhaps even the man behind the very words you’re reading. This was, perhaps, the most enjoyable aspect of this book. Reading Janz’s The Dark Game was like experiencing the creator speaking through his creation. I highly recommend it....more
Originally published the review on Cemetery Dance May 28th, 2019
Where are my fellow John Bellairs fans? Raise your hands and be counted. I need to knoOriginally published the review on Cemetery Dance May 28th, 2019
Where are my fellow John Bellairs fans? Raise your hands and be counted. I need to know who you are. It’s important to this review because I’m an avid horror fan who was first nourished on the horror milk of John Bellairs novels. Bellairs wrote dark, gothic mysteries for young readers and he never shied away from being “too scary” for kids. I relished my time in those pages.
Here I am now at forty-two years of age and Sarah Read, the talented author of The Bone Weaver’s Orchard, has just rekindled that fire by tapping some of my favorite things I loved as a young reader.
But hold up! This is not to say this book is a young adult book, (although it could be read and enjoyed by anyone) I’m just saying it reached out beyond the written word in a familiar way that immediately appealed to me. First and foremost, this book is gothically atmospheric in the best possible way. The Old Cross School for Boys is a horribly delicious setting for all sorts of wickedness and secrets.
As soon as we meet our protagonist, Charley Winslow (I love you, Charley!!) he is dumped on the steps of the most intimidating building one could imagine. The author’s prose is noticeably rich as she takes her time on all the interesting details. The character development is another level! I found myself falling in love with Charley and then his unlikely friend Sam—like dangerously in love with them. My reader’s heart was bound and tethered to them, making all the suspense and terror that much more threatening and heart-pounding!
Especially Charley. This young man is so sweet and eccentric with his little passion for insects. He’s brave and curious and I just wanted to reach through the pages and take him home with me, away from mean boys, sinister adults and hidden secrets that demand to stay hidden.
This book was one of those stories that you find yourself thinking about all day while you’re busy “adulting” and looking forward to jumping back into as soon as you get in bed at night. My time with Sarah Read and her words on these pages are some of my favorite. A serious contender for my favorite book of 2019.
One more thing: there was a moment in this book where I gasped out loud. There was a very distinct turning from a moody, dark “coming of age” story to grisly horror, full stop. It was from that moment on; I knew the full extent of Read’s talent. She’s an amazing, gifted writer and I will absolutely show up for anything she puts out in the future. Horror lovers, this book is a must-have and Sarah Read is a new insta-buy author....more
This review originally appeared on Cemetery Dance/Extras Nov. 12th, 2018 Jeremy Shipp has a unique brand of psychological horror. I read his novella, TThis review originally appeared on Cemetery Dance/Extras Nov. 12th, 2018 Jeremy Shipp has a unique brand of psychological horror. I read his novella, The Atrocities, earlier this year and was taken aback by Shipp’s bold, almost reckless storytelling choices. It seems like anything can happen in his books which can be quite unexpected for the reader. I would say more often than not these strange, almost absurd plot details are successful in creating an enjoyable reading experience; but sometimes, they’re not.
Bedfellow was an example of how the unusual can cast too long of a shadow over the story, mudding the waters and creating confusion.
Bedfellow is the story of a family unexpectedly visited by a strange intruder that slides in through the living room window. The family members react to this event in such a calm, casual way — I was bothered by it immediately. Especially the father, Hendrick, who begins to converse with the odd man. As other members of the family investigate, the alarm over the intrusion fizzles out to plain old curiosity. Eventually the man is asked to stay the night in the guest room.
My reading experience at this point was so perplexed. There were no explanations as to why the family was so agreeable to this bizarre event. I wish I could say the story gets easier to digest from there but it doesn’t. It takes a good, long while to get a firm grasp on the slippery, insidious story wriggling and writhing beneath the surface. Even when I figured out what was happening, the newfound knowledge was no benefit in helping me navigate through the narrative.
Just like with the Atrocities (which was pretty weird but I would say a little less experimental than this book) the reader is left to bumble about through the plot, not really certain of what exactly is going on. Shipp gives you just enough bread crumbs along the narrow dark trail so you’re not completely lost — not lost enough to abandon the story altogether. Frankly, the last half of the book is so sick and twisted, there was really no letting go at that point. With the ending and resolution in sight, one must go on to see how this inventive, disturbing tale is going to end.
I’ll say that if you can get through the first one hundred pages of the book and really hang in there with the story, the rewards will be paid in full at the end, leaving fans of subtle, slow-building horror feeling totally satisfied with this dark fantasy/horror hybrid…but only if they can forget working so hard to understand the author’s intentions in the beginning....more
Review first appeared on Cemetery Dance Extras November 26th, 2018
After reading nothing but horror for over a year now, is it possible for me to stillReview first appeared on Cemetery Dance Extras November 26th, 2018
After reading nothing but horror for over a year now, is it possible for me to still be scared? I’ve been asked that question quite a bit lately and the answer is: Absolutely. If horror fans are honest with themselves, we are showing up for horror because there is always the potential for something to crawl up under our skin and linger there. We like it.
I’m thrilled to report that Tim McWhorter’s collection of short stories did the trick! This would be perfect for your October reading list because the scares are there. For someone that loves scary stories as much as I do, it’s weird that I am also such a scaredy cat and have a variety of phobias. Tim managed to touch on a few of them throughout his range of tales he gathered together in Let There Be Dark.
One story in particular titled “The Dark Side” managed to insidiously exploit two fears: My deep seated aversion to haunted houses (like carnival-style attractions) and my profound claustrophobia. By the end of this one, I was a wreck and I loved it.
A particularly interesting story was “No Saints Here.” As a woman, it goes without saying that we are used to having certain fears that men don’t have to struggle with. Tim plays out a woman’s worst fear inside the mind of a sexual predator and it was highly effective at making me squirm. I was amazed with all the plot twists Tim managed in such a short amount of time — really, really impressive storytelling.
Just to further pique your interest, I’ll mention that the other story that freaked me out was “Pigs.” It is a very well-crafted, classic horror story. The set up was so unnerving, I was sweating what was coming next the entire time. Then the ending came with this huge gore-fest and it was perfect. I wanted to sit up in my bed and clap for an imaginary audience of fellow gore connoisseurs.
At the end of every story, Tim does the reader this fantastic courtesy of giving a brief explanation of what inspired him. It’s such a treat, and I would encourage all authors to include something like that in their short story or novella collections. Trust me, it gets major kudos from horror fans. I haven’t met one that didn’t enjoy those personal insights.
If you love reading author collections as much as I do, this is a must have and Tim McWhorter should go on your list of “ones to watch.” I’m certainly watching!...more
This review was originally published for Cemetery Dance Extras Sept. 18th
This book had me at the dedication:
Dedicated to the bullied, the parentless aThis review was originally published for Cemetery Dance Extras Sept. 18th
This book had me at the dedication:
Dedicated to the bullied, the parentless and the unique. May the shallow assholes one day envy you. It’s safe for me to say that I’ve never read a book like Skullface Boy and I likely never will again (unless Chad Lutzke writes it). The protagonist, Levi, has an exposed skull for a face. There is no explanation for this physical condition given and Lutzke doesn’t spend any time on the physical complications of Levi’s unique attribute, but rather the psychological impact having a skullface would have on a young man. I was captivated by the first sentence.
We travel with Levi on his journey to California to find his father. He encounters many people along the way, some helpful, others not so helpful, and some are even dangerous. The pages fly by. I was utterly absorbed into the world of this transient teenager and his endearing, poignant and often hilarious take on every situation. I loved the way the narration reads almost like diary entries — a title for the experience and then Levi’s personality colorfully shading even the most mundane situations like dumpster diving or hitchhiking.
Throughout the book Levi gathers snippets of paper or napkins from restaurants and he writes. He’s always writing. My thought is that’s what we’re reading. As I reveal that right now, my heart is overflowing and I feel like crying. Honestly, this story is something I’ll carry around with me forever. Full disclosure: I read Lutzke’s book Of Foster Homes and Flies right before I read this book and I’m just blown away. These books are full of so much character, heart and soul, I feel like I intimately know twelve year old Denny from Foster Homes and Levi from Skullface Boy — they are characters that I love with a reader’s fierce passion and it’s all because I lived in their shoes. I was with them in their journey through a season of their young life when they felt abandoned, marginalized and lost. Chad tells us their innermost fears and their desire to love and be loved back, and it just crushes you. I’ll show up for anything this author writes. These books are the reason I read, because to write a review that moves me to tears and to have all these feelings bubbling up within me means that something magical happens on these pages.
After finishing the book, I can hear Levi’s voice, the protagonist, in that dedication, but I also hear Chad Lutzke — this story about a 16-year-old boy that escaped his orphanage home to search for his father, is a work of fiction, but it felt as though some of the story was “lived in.” At the end, the author mentions parts of the story were autobiographical. He says, “I’ll let you decide what parts.” I’ve decided Chad Lutzke has a lot of stories to tell and I’m on board for all of them....more
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