H.G. Gravy's Blog, page 2
April 12, 2019
Book Review for Peaceable Kingdom by Jack Ketchum
Jack Ketchum’s short story collection, Peaceable Kingdom, showcase’s the master of horror’s ability to write more than just brutality, blood, and guts. Peaceable Kingdom has stories which invoke a wide variety of emotions including fear, disgust, humor, and of course, cruelty, blood, and guts. Some of my favorites include:
The Rifle – A story in which a mother discovers a rifle in her young son’s bedroom closet. While this may not seem like an incredibly elaborate plot, Ketchum takes the stor...
March 24, 2019
Wrong Roads Anthology Now Available!
As we drive through America, we are often lured to venture from the familiar and into the unknown.This collection encourages you to do the same. To ride alongside your favorite horror authors as they take you on a trip you will never forget. There is no turning back. From new legends to old familiar haunts, the stories held within this tome will make you question whether anywhere is safe. Over 30 authors have crafted the most authentic and ho...
March 23, 2019
Book Review for Broken Angels by Richard K. Morgan
In Altered Carbon, we are introduced into a bleak 25th century where humanity has spread to the stars, technology has advanced leaps and bounds due to the discovery of advanced Martian technology, and most importantly, human consciousness can be downloaded into a cortical stack and transferred from body to body.
Needlecasting from the Earth-centered mystery noir of Altered Carbon, Broken Angels continues the journey of Takeshi Kovacs through the stars and drops him into the middle of a plane...
March 2, 2019
Book Review for The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie
After getting hooked on Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Seas trilogy, I decided to go further down the rabbit hole and picked up The Blade Itself, the first book in the First Law Trilogy. Getting hooked on the fantastic characters and worldbuilding, I continued onward into Before They Are Hanged and journeyed across the world with this vast cast of characters. I fell in love with their world and came to love the characters even more despite their flaws, temperaments, and propensity towards violen...
February 10, 2019
Horror d’Oeuvres Vol. 2 – It Came from the Snack Bar!
Here we go again! The terrifying tales contained within this tome certainly do not fit within the realm of the ordinary set of courses. In our previous anthology, Bite-Sized Tales of Terror, we set the table with micro and flash fiction stories, which we established were the hors-d’oeuvres of the literary realm. It Came From the Snack Bar! is an expansion to the menu. We’ve removed the claustrophobic word count limit and allowed the chefs to have their way in the kitchen. While the stories...
December 25, 2018
Book Review for “The Promises We Make in December” by T.W. Grim
John is a successful author, but unfortunately, after many years of alcoholism, he is dying. However, he has one last horrifying tale to tell. The Promises We Make in December is a gritty coming-of-age story in which John recounts the terrible events of his childhood growing up with his mother in dire circumstances after losing his father in a fatal accident.
Then one day a seedy man named Dan comes into the picture and changes their lives forever. Their money issues are resolved. John’s mot...
November 25, 2018
Book Review for “Pay Up and Die” by Chuck Buda
Michael Wright is consumed with guilt over his finances. He cannot afford to support his family. His home equity line is tapped. His credit cards are maxed. His car is falling apart. Most importantly, his daughter has a terminal illness and needs expensive experimental surgery to save her life. Michael does not think it could get any worse. Unfortunately, it CAN and DOES get worse. Much, much worse.
Derrick Graves is the opposite of Michael. Graves is a rich man fueled by ambition, greed, and...
November 11, 2018
Book Review for Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie
After getting hooking on Joe Abercrombie’s Shattered Seas trilogy and reading through The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, the second book of the First Law trilogy continues to cement Abercrombie as one of my new favorite authors.
As with the previous novels I have read, Abercrombie’s primary strength continues to be his ability to create unique and interesting characters along with fascinating worlds. In Before They Are Hanged, we are treated to more the world beyond Adua.
Bayaz, Logen...
Book Review for Brian Keene’s, White Fire
Captain Tom Collins and Phil McLeod were transporting a deadly weaponized disease across Illinois when a freak tornado devastates the town of Godfrey and topples over their van. The accident unleashes the pathogen into the air and immediately infects those who come in contact with it. Collins and McLeod call in the army and the CDC to handle containment and quarantine, but it is already too late. With many of the townsfolk gathered at the makeshift shelter at the elementary school, the pathog...
October 8, 2018
A One Star Review for the Honeymoon Suite
When we booked the honeymoon suite, we made it crystal clear we wanted our privacy respected above all else. Of course, a few minutes after check-in, someone is already pounding at our door! It was loud enough to startle us as we unpacked our luggage.
Assuming it was housekeeping or a timeshare salesman, I was ready to yell at them for their ineptitude. However, someone must have realized their mistake and recalled the representative before I answered the door because no one was at the door.
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