H.G. Gravy's Blog, page 4
July 21, 2018
Last Day by Bryan Smith Book Review
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On an otherwise typical morning, the President of the United States appears on national television and tells the world there is a meteor on a collision course with the Earth. At the end of the broadcast, the President commits suicide. Soon after, the world plummets into chaos and madness. Countries unleash their nuclear arsenals, governments collapse, and civil order goes out the window. This happens only in the first hour of the last eighteen left before the Earth is to be devastated. This is the set up for what follows in Bryan Smith’s “Last Day.”
If you’ve read other Bryan Smith novels, you should know what to expect from the extreme horror novelist, and unfortunately, this is the novel’s central issue. Following a small sample size of otherwise ordinary people thrust into enduring the breakdown of society, the central plot revolves around three different groups: the typical nuclear family hiding an extraordinarily dark and horrifying secret, a young couple dissatisfied with their relationship, and a young working professional stuck on a bridge on his way to work.
We follow each group of characters through the novel and in typical Bryan Smith manner, they must confront antagonists who are deplorable, deranged, and depraved. With the end of the world upon them, free of consequences and a police force to stop them, these psychos will go on an all-out campaign of murder, rape, and destruction. No one is safe. Nothing is off the table.
Unfortunately, as mentioned before, this is where the problem lays. If you’ve read Bryan Smith novels before, you’ll notice a lot of the same ticks. A beautiful, psychotic woman. A generally well-to-do young man becomes submissive to the previously mentioned beautiful, psychotic woman. The antagonists have no nuance to them and no redeeming qualities. It feels as if I’ve already read this before in his other books. I understand authors have their bread and butter, their own styles and different ticks, but aside from a few differences, it feels like it is all recycled material from other Smith novels and functions as a crutch.
“Last Day” is another extreme horror novel under Smith’s belt. If you are a fan of Bryan Smith, this should satisfy the desire for the brutal, unapologetic horror he provides. For this reader, the formula is getting a bit monotonous. Considering Smith can write novels like “Slowly We Rot,” I know Smith can evolve his narrative and characters beyond the level of “Last Day.”
July 19, 2018
The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay Book Review
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Paul Tremblay’s long awaited and much anticipated follow-up to “Disappearance at Devil’s Rock” and “A Head Full of Ghosts” certainly lived up to the hype and delivered another ambiguous ending for readers to decide if the supernatural forces at work are beyond the scope of human understanding or if they’re merely the delusions and madness of man.
The Cabin at the End of the World starts with a parent’s worst nightmare. A stranger approaches Wen, the adopted daughter of Andrew and Eric, and the situation quickly escalates into a home invasion. If this isn’t terrifying enough, these four strangers come with a message for Eric, Andrew, and Wen which will forever alter the course of their lives.
From page one, the tension and dread are palpable, and it doesn’t let up until the last page is turned. The strength of Tremblay’s characters is what drives the typical home invasion plot into something more than the cliches we’ve come to expect from Hollywood or other horror novels splattered with blood and gore. That isn’t to say Tremblay doesn’t tread into those waters. There is indeed a fair amount of blood and gore in this book, but it isn’t to satisfy some serial killer’s bloodlust or for Tremblay to describe hideous events to shock the audience. There is a method to this madness, and there is a necessity to the bloodshed.
If there is any criticism to level against the novel, it is a personal one. I’m not a big fan of ambiguous endings. The three novels I’ve read by Tremblay all have ended with ambiguity, but in my opinion, the strength of the plot is the deal breaker on whether or not the books are satisfying despite their endings. “A Head Full of Ghosts” was incredibly satisfying with the plot, so the ambiguous ending didn’t bother me as much. “Disappearance at Devil’s Rock” was the opposite as I wasn’t quite as drawn into the plot as I was with “A Head Full of Ghosts.” Being as how I was split down the middle with these novels, “The Cabin at the End of the World” was going to be the tie-breaker on whether or not I would consider myself a fan of Tremblay. Luckily, “The Cabin at the End of the World” was a much better reading experience than “Disappearance at Devil’s Rock” so I will be reading Tremblay’s next novel whenever it may come out.
Overall, “The Cabin at the End of the World” lives up to its hype and will likely make a lot of Top 10 of 2018 book lists.
June 4, 2018
When The Stars Fall by T.W. Grim Book Review
When The Stars Fall by T.W. Grim is a masterful novel about the darker side of human nature when confronted with inevitable doom. Mark, our protagonist (but truly an anti-hero) is thrust into an unthinkable situation while at work at his plant. A truck crashes through the front gate, and its driver is carrying an alien parasite capable of overtaking its host and shape-shifting into nightmarish creatures. This sets off a chain of events involving government conspiracies and results in the confinement of various strong personalities within the plant under threat of immediate execution if they attempt to escape.
This novel is a dark, cynical, and brutal exploration of what overwhelming tension and the breakdown of order does to the psychological conditions of co-workers who couldn’t stand to be around each other in the first place. Groups are formed. People try to establish themselves as leaders. Territories are set, and then there are those who are left to fend for themselves against the overwhelming odds of falling victim to the government soldiers waiting outside, the parasitic alien in search for human hosts, or their mentally deranged co-workers. This non-stop horror thriller will keep readers on the edge of their seats as the strong consume the weak, tempers flair and unthinkable acts of violence and murder consume everyone in its wake.
As a long time fan of his work, T.W. Grim outdid himself with this novel. I’ve come to regard him as one of the best indie horror authors around and believe this novel can stand right alongside the work of any mid-tier horror author being traditionally published today. If you don’t believe me, buy this novel and find out how wrong you are.
April 30, 2018
Altered Carbon Book Review
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
After blowing through the Netflix series, I couldn’t stand the thought of having to wait for another season. As always, as soon as I found out there was a book series, I jumped at the opportunity to throw myself deeper into the universe. It happened to me with A Song of a Ice and Fire, the Vampire Chronicles, and the works of Stephen King. Once I’ve got a taste, I want more and more.
Altered Carbon hits upon all the right buttons for me as a reader. Cyberpunk. Check. Detective-noir. Check. Mystery. Check. Science fiction universe. Check. It caught my attention right away, and I was not disappointed.
Humankind in the distant future has reached the pinnacle of technology. Interstellar travel is possible within minutes. Planets across the galaxy have been colonized. Artificial intelligence has been fully realized. A sort of immortality has been obtained through the implantation of cortical stacks which allow people to be moved from body to body, so long as the stack remains intact. The process of getting “sleeved” into another body is expensive and leaves the person feeling the side effects of being placed into a new body unless the person has been trained to negate these effects like the main protagonist of Altered Carbon, Takeshi Kovacs, a former Envoy.
Kovacs is awakened from his prison sentence at the request of a Meth (the ultra-rich immortals of society named after Methuselah) named Laurens Bancroft to investigate the mystery behind Bancroft’s murder. Having had his cortical stack backed up and extra copies of his sleeve, Bancroft is left without the memory of his death. It is up to Kovacs to discover the truth behind the murder of this powerful elite. Along the way, there is more mystery and intrigue introduced which is ultimately intertwined and resolved nicely and neatly despite being elaborate and complicated.
It is worth mentioning that the setting in which Altered Carbon takes place in is as much as the character of the story as the cast. The world feels lived in with its rich history. Despite the innovation and incredible technology available, this world isn’t pristine or utopia-like. It’s a dark world of brutal violence, sexual deviance, and exploitation. Humans aren’t treasured. All of our vices evolving right along with the technology.
For all the praise I can give this book, there are also a couple of hiccups along the way which I cannot ignore. There is a bit of pacing issue in the middle of the book making it feel like extra padding. It slowed the narrative to a crawl and didn’t contribute much to the overall plot.
There’s also the matter of the sex scenes in this book. They served more as comic relief than arousing. Usually, I wouldn’t criticize this, but it was jarring and awkward enough to knock me out of the narrative. We can’t win them all.
Overall, Altered Carbon was an incredible reading experience and a dazzling one to watch on television. While the television show differs from the source material, it did not hurt to know the show coming into the book, and I don’t believe it would vice versa.
I’m certainly going to continue onward with the series.
April 17, 2018
Bryan Smith’s 68 Kill Part 2 Book Review
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Bryan Smith follows up 68 Kill with Chip about a month after his escape from Tennessee hiding away in a seedy hotel in Florida. Having stayed out of trouble for a little while, Chip is living peacefully until he is once again dragged into a world of chaos, violence, and depravity. Of course, as a staple of Smith’s writing, the chaos comes in the form of a woman who is incredibly beautiful but also happens to be insane. Chip goes from tranquil existence to evading the police, encountering redneck psychos in the wild, and having to get his hands dirty in a number of strange and interesting situations.
Coming into 68 Kill Part 2, knowing how the story progression in 68 Kill Part 1 went, I didn’t find this reading experience as jarring as the first novel. Part 1 felt like it was a bit unconnected and scattered and like Smith was grasping at straws attempting to make everything come together. Part 2 felt much more plotted out and tighter.
Compared with previous Bryan Smith books I’ve read, this one is a bit tame but still touches upon those extreme horror roots Smith is known for. Once again, there is no real “antagonist” in the novel. Chip goes from place to place stumbling upon terrible situations and navigating his way out in one piece. Even so, this book doesn’t fail to delivery on the entertainment factor. Each chapter leaves you wondering where the plot is heading, who or what will be the next obstacle, or whether or not the beautiful woman with Chip at the moment is either going to try to kill him and steal his money or if there is a genuine connection between them. There’s always something dark and dangerous behind every corner.
Overall, 68 Kill Part 2 is an excellent sequel and improves upon the weaknesses of the original story.
April 4, 2018
April 1, 2018
Alphabet Soup: Horror Stories for the Tormented Soul is now available on Kindle!
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Available now on the Amazon Store, Alphabet Soup: Horror Stories for the Tormented Soul is an interconnected anthology of 27 stories featuring a letter from the alphabet.
“H is for Hegemonic” is my contribution to this excellent book and several other stories branch off into exploring more of my mythos.
If you downloaded a Advanced Reader Copy, please leave a review on Amazon listing for the story so we can shoot this baby to the top.
If you haven’t read this yet for only .99 cents, you can join in on the fun!
March 15, 2018
“The Man in the High Castle” Book Review
This is one of those truly rare moments where the on-screen adaption surpasses the source material. “Man in the High Castle” is a what-if alternate history where Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany won World War 2 and divided the majority of the world between them, except for Canada. They remained independent for some unknown reason. The United States is split between the coasts. East belongs the Nazis. West belongs to the Japanese. The center of the country is a buffer zone between the two countries.
The book jumps between several characters giving a wide perspective on how the individual lives of the American common folk functions under these new regimes and how this alternate world differs from our current one. We are also given the perspective of a Japanese Trade official and German defector who carries grave news about the coming future after the Chancellor of Germany dies and leaves a power vacuum to be filled.
Unfortunately, the whole concept seems wasted with how much of the narrative focuses on jewel crafting, selling rare antiques, and how pieces can be artificially aged and passed off to the untrained eye. There’s also the focus of a book inside the story called the “I Ching” which guides many of the characters actions. Perhaps it is my unfamiliarity with the “I Ching” but it sounds as if all these characters are basing their actions on random horoscopes.
The most interesting aspect novel, mainly, the threat of the Nazis launching a surprise attack on the Japanese Home Islands is a major revelation which is simply stated and then nothing comes of it. Same with the actual Man in the High Castle and his novel, The Grasshopper Lies Heavy, which is an alt-history novel inside this alt-history novel (Man in the High Castle) where the Allies won the war. It is a bestseller and the Nazis are actively trying to assassinate the author because of it. One of the characters meets the assassin, kills him, and then meets with the author to make him aware of the attempt on his life. It simply pans out to nothing since the author doesn’t seem to care about the Nazis trying to kill him. Oh yeah, he wrote The Grasshopper Lies Heavy according to the “I Ching”.
Then the book ends abruptly. There is no resolution. No prologue to tell the reader what happened. Nothing at all. Perhaps the message was lost on me?
I don’t know.
Just not an enjoyable book to read despite the concept.
The television show is where the overall concept truly shines.
March 3, 2018
Book Review: 21st Century Dead (Zombie Anthology)
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Overall, 21st Century Dead like many other anthologies I’ve read turns out to be another mixed bag. Some stories are great, many of them are okay, and then there are some real stinkers in the pile.
What this anthology does RIGHT is branch out from the classical zombie tales of George A. Romero or the current dominant property of The Walking Dead. It tinkers with the zombie genre to show how much more can be done with these creatures who are often used as cannon fodder. 21st Century Dead is a good book for this. If you are looking for more zombie stories which don’t stick with the tried and true formula, I suggest reading The Living Dead anthologies by John Joesph Adams.
What follows below is a quick summary of each story and how I felt about them.
Biters by Mark Morris – In a world where the zombie virus is close to being cured, a young girl is charged with caring for a zombified infant. Through a series of unfortunate mistakes, the young girl learns secrets which change her life. As the opener for the anthology, “Biters” wasn’t as strong a story as many of the others in the rest of the anthology. While it wasn’t a bad story in any shape or form, it is quickly overshadowed by most of which comes ahead.
Why Mothers Let Their Babies Watch Television by Chelsea Cain – A Two-page short story about a mother whose frustration with her baby leads her to shake it to death. However, the baby doesn’t quite stay dead. Being with how short it is, this story doesn’t leave much of an impact on the reader. It is easily forgettable and doesn’t pack quite the punch a short story like this should.
Carousel by Orson Scott Card – In this world, the living and the dead coexist and Cyril, the main character isn’t happy about this. His wife returns from death and makes it very clear she wants her children to join her. Against Cyril’s wishes, his wife helps to end the lives of their children and they appear to be much happier. Cyril leaves his home and finds himself at a carousel where he is able to speak with God about the current state of affairs. Once again, it isn’t a bad story but it also doesn’t seem to jump out at me either as being super good. Once more, another forgettable story.
Reality Bites by S.G. Browne – Zombies are now the stars of reality television but oversaturation of the market has made them not so interesting anymore. However, Evan Carter, an independent producer, has come up with a brand new idea of a television show revolving around Ted, a zombie who can actually think, speak, and feel. A satire on the entertainment industry and Hollywood, this story doesn’t take itself seriously at all and it is wonderful because of this. While this story is limited to simply the idea of pitching a television show about a sentient zombie, it is also a commentary on today’s culture, television programs, and the idea that audiences are braindead.
The Drop by Stephen Susco – Honestly, I don’t really know what this is even about. I read it and got something about a video game, a woman coming back from the dead, and then a guy in an apartment closet. Unfortunately, this is probably the weakest story of the entire anthology. Maybe I missed something but it didn’t make any sense to me and didn’t hold my interest much.
Antiparallelogram by Amber Benson – In a futurist dystopian world, society is divided by colored implants placed under their wrists. A poor, nameless protagonist dreams of escaping the fate of the orange ID, which means they will be exterminated within one year of being marked. Hoping to land a job in a store which offers the incentive of hazard-pay, the nameless protagonist hangs around the store awaiting the chance to gain employment. However, the protagonist isn’t the only one who has been watching the store. A chemically zombified man kidnaps the protagonist and offers him a chance to escape his fate if only he will steal a hidden batch of chemicals inside the store in which he wanted to work in. This is easily one of the best stories in the anthology and brings something completely unique and interesting to the table.
How We Escaped Our Certain Fate by Dan Chaon – In this world, zombies aren’t much of a threat as they are a nuisance. A father and son have a strained relationship especially after the son is forced to kill someone who attempted to rob his father’s store. While their relationship is returning to normal, his zombified wife starts coming around their home at night which would further complicate their relationship. While is story attempts to hit an emotional string in the reader, I think it ends too soon to have the intended impact. Once again, it wasn’t a bad story at all, but it also didn’t bring anything memorable to the table.
A Mother’s Love by John Mcllveen – Marissa must feed her son Cedric during a zombie apocalypse. Problem is Cedric is a zombie and humans are starting to become harder to find in the world of the living dead. A bit of a cliche at this point but the story itself was entertaining.
Down and Out in Dead Town by Simon R. Green – When the dead start returning from the grave, there is nothing about them resembling their former selves. They don’t eat people. They don’t do anything other than exist. These undead are placed inside dead towns and forgotten about much like the main protagonist in the story. He’s a man who has lost his job, his family, and his home. He decides to visit one of these dead towns and finds he has much more in common with the dead than the living. The comparison between the homeless and the living dead is effective and makes you stop to pause and think. Great story with a social message.
Devil Dust by Caitlin Kittredge – Lizzie is hospitalized after a horrible car accident which left her husband dead. The circumstances immediately become clear that this wasn’t a car accident and Lizzie sets out to get revenge against those who wronged her and her husband. One of the better stories in the anthology with a satisfying conclusion and an excellent take on a different type of zombie story.
The Dead of Dromore by Ken Bruen – An elite squad of mercenaries is sent into zombie infested area to rescue the daughter of a very rich man. Obviously, things don’t go as planned and these badasses aren’t so badass by the end. While this one isn’t breaking any new ground in the zombie genre, it does meet the need of having a military action story in between all the other stories which try to branch out in different directions. Entertaining and brief.
All the Comforts of Home by John Skipp and Cody Goodfellow – In a world reborn after the end of the previous one, a man recalls the chaos and madness in humanity’s final days and the actions he took which led to his survival. Another one of the better-crafted stories in the anthology. It tells a story of survivor’s guilt and having to continue living with one’s sins.
Ghost Dog and Pup Stay by Thomas E. Sniegoski – Murphy the dog dies protecting his young owner, Mitchell, from a dark entity which is uncovered during a hurricane. His soul is returned to Earth after he is told by the Old Dog and Old Man in the sky that Mitchell is a special boy who could cause either massive chaos with guidance from the dark entity or aspire the world to greatness. Murphy was his guardian and must now guide the replacement puppy, Jack, to save Mitchell from the corruption. As much as this sounds like a children’s horror story, it was easily my most favorite of the anthology.
Tic Boom: A Slice of Life by Kurt Sutter – A man with turrets syndrome drives a school bus around and speaks to headless corpses. He is one of the only survivors of the zombie apocalypse because of his condition but he isn’t all right in the head. He kills humans and zombies alike. Another story where the protagonist feeds humans to zombies. While the concept is interesting, the story is much too short and the cliched ending didn’t help it much either.
Jack and Jill by Jonathan Maberry – Jack Porter is dying of cancer. There is a massive storm coming and its predicted to be one of the worst to hit his area. With the storm come the zombies and it is a fight for survival for the terminally ill child and his family. My second favorite story of the anthology. It draws upon confronting the concept of childhood death and accepting fate. Truly a page turner and certainly makes me want to read more from Maberry.
Tender as Teeth by Stephanie Crawford and Duane Swierczynski – Justine was having a drink at a bar when suddenly she is knocked off her chair and awakens in the hospital to discover its months later. Then the horrible news is broken to her. She was a zombie, she ate an infant, and it was captured in a photograph which had gone viral. Carson, the photographer, and Justine embark on a journey to take another photo to show she has been cured. This is also one of the best stories in the anthology. It explores the idea of acclimating to being human once more and dealing with the struggle of having committed atrocities while not actually remembering them.
Couch Potato by Brian Keene – Adele is a little girl with a drug-addicted mother who neglects her. A breakout of Hamelin’s Revenge, the virus which came from rats and turned people into flesh-eating zombies, doesn’t change much for Adele’s situation. Her mother still neglects her and sits on the couch watching television until her drugs run out. Being familiar with Brian Keene’s catalog of work, it was nice to see another appearance of Hamelin’s Revenge in a short story. After having read Dead Sea and Entombed, I’m certain Adele’s fate was not going to be good regardless of whether she survived this story or not. Overall, it is what I expected of Brian Keene which is always enjoyable to read.
The Happy Bird and Other Tales by Rio Youers – Two years after a war which tore apart his life, Raif Ceric is still coping with the loss of his family, his town, and the general devastation. A warmongering dictator forced his soldiers to take drugs which made them immune to feeling or even caring about the atrocities they were committing. Raif manages to capture one of the soldiers responsible for the death of his family and attempts to bring him back from the abyss of the unfeeling and uncaring. A wonderful story about the trauma and horrors of war and the aftermath in which the common person is left to pick up the pieces of their broken lives. Excellent work and certainly makes me want to read more from Rio Youers.
Parasite by Daniel H. Wilson – Unfortunately, this story closes out the book and I don’t think it should have. I had no idea what was happening and didn’t understand it. There was a war, there were metal spiders, and the narrator was dead but his spirit was still alive. I don’t know and I’m not going back to see if I can figure it out either. The previous story should have closed out the book.
