Steve Stred's Blog, page 21

Book Review: Djinn by Craig DiLouie

Title: Djinn

Author: Craig DiLouie

Release date: June 16th, 2023

Earlier this year (maybe end of last year?), I read and devoured Craig’s phenomenal ‘Episode Thirteen.’ I’ll admit, going into that one, I was hesitant for the simple reason that I simply can’t process/enjoy epistolary storytelling. But, you know what? It rocked. It hit every note perfectly and is easily going on my year end best-of 2023 list.

Now, if we take a step back, I LOVED Craig’s ‘Suffer the Children,’ but was a bit uneven on his ‘The Children of Red Peak’ novel. Still, his writing is beyond amazing, and with two wins and one draw, I was intrigued when he announced a new novel, titled ‘Djinn.’

But then I read the synopsis. And, while it had me very, very intrigued, I found myself in the same situation I was in with ‘Episode Thirteen.’ This time – military fiction.

I’ve never been a huge military entertainment person. TV shows, movies, books, I’ve greatly enjoyed a handful of them over the years, but for the most part, it’s something I struggle with. One big aspect is the majority of it does come out of the US, which means we get a lot of the RAH-RAH military slog. I just don’t care for the over-the-top ‘Top Gun’-esque hooo-rah that coats the military part like a blanket of bravado.

But – this was Craig – an accomplished military fiction author in his own right AND a dual citizen of the US and Canada. So, I was excited to see what he brought to the table with this one, hoping that maybe his steady hand and deft prose would help me overcome my pre-existing dislike of military fiction.

What I liked: The novel follows Holly, a journalist and military brat, who heads to Afghanistan as the US pulls its troops from the country and chaos erupts. She doesn’t care. She’s there with her own mission – to find out what happened to her father AND discover the truth of why he was there. She’s heard rumors and has followed the leads, which all indicate he was the leader of a mysterious unit – Unit X – otherwise known as Witch Doctors.

I’ll admit – I was slowed many, many times having to head over to Google and search different things. I even resorted to contacting Craig to ask about a few things, because I was completely captivated.

Holly is a fascinating character – one needing to run headlong into the worst areas in the world all in the hopes of finding the truth – but she was also completely scared and over her head for the majority of the book.

The two members of her security detail were perfectly executed, and it also allowed for some really solid moments of information dumps to the reader, as well as sharing the reality of war AND the reality of those who’ve fought and have survived.

Craig does a stellar job of telling the story that gets us to where Unit X was based out of, and I have to admit, I would’ve been happy to have it stay that way. BUT, once we get to the base, the shit hits the fan and the supernatural elements that are introduced were phenomenal and completely ramped this up to a whole other level.

The ending was poignant, summarizing the reality of Holly’s world and where she sat in comparison to where she’d began the journey and it still allowed room for Craig to philosophize on the Afghan reality going forward.

What I didn’t like: While it absolutely worked, I still was dismayed that the climatic battle was over and done within a short time. It made sense, and flowed really well, especially considering some prior setbacks in the story, but I also want MORE for the final battle!

Why you should buy this: DiLouie has done it again. Seriously, this one zips along from start to finish and reaches the pinnacle of what I want in a gritty, dirty, in-enemy-territory, supernatural fiction. This was cinematic and layered with so much emotion that it made for a very exciting novel.

Loved this one, and DiLouie has now had me enjoy two books in two different styles I typically never enjoy. Well done, sir!

5/5

Book Review: Grey Noise by Marcus Hawke

Title: Grey Noise

Author: Marcus Hawke

Release date: June 20, 2023

I’d hoped to get started on this one come release day, but alas my other read kept me there, so it wasn’t until last night, the day after release day, that I was able to get to Marcus Hawke’s latest release and rip through it.

At 94 print pages in length, I knew this would be about an hour long read for me, so, I jumped in head first, completely unaware of what the synopsis even was about. Sometimes, you just gotta do that, and in this case when it’s a fellow Canuck, who happens to live in the same province as you (only three hours south) and someone you consider a good buddy, you just take that leap!

What I liked: Firstly, before I even start talking about the story within, I have to mention the stellar formatting job of this one. I read this on my Kindle, so I can only assume in print it is even more phenomenal, but the usage of ‘commercials’ and different textual formatting was spot on and definitely makes this a book your eyes will feast on!

As for the story itself, this is a nostalgia laden, topical novella that follows Evan Grey on opening day for his new business, REWIND VIDEO. Evan’s is out to prove himself, to himself and the world, with this store. A throw back to the good old video store days. He’s worked tirelessly and meticulously to get every detail just right, the only thing missing is a tube TV that he can attach a VCR to and have VHS tapes playing when the store is open. And luck is on his side, as on the morning of the store opening, he happens to find one on the side of the road for free.

It’s from here where Hawke throws us back to the simpler days of ‘possession’ type horror stories. In this case, its the static of the TV, a TV that seemingly controls itself and is sending messages to Evan.

It works on a number of levels – the messaging of this novella. First, it can simply just be a possessed old TV that is driving the character nuts. Second, you can take it as a metaphor surrounding today’s ‘digital age,’ where we’re never not bombarded with videos, music etc. etc. Or thirdly/lastly, you can see it as a story about a man, pushed to the brink with desire to succeed who simply snaps and lashes out, in this case at someone who didn’t believe in him.

No matter where you go as a reader – and you may end up going elsewhere than what I read into it – this one sinks its hooks into you and doesn’t let go.

The ending (which will either work for you or not – for me it did) is a fitting conclusion based on the cyclical nature of the VHS metaphor that Hawke employs throughout.

What I didn’t like: Like I mentioned, the ending will either work for you or not. It fits the narrative well, but you may find yourself saying ‘reeaaalllly?’

As well, while I understood the stress of opening day for Evan, I was a bit surprised that all of this novella takes place over the course of the one day. Maybe the guy should’ve realized he wasn’t cut out for retail if he couldn’t last a single day! Ha!

Why you should buy this: A really fun, fast-paced and engaging novella, ‘Grey Noise’ ripped along and I couldn’t put it down. It was a perfect blast of remembering sights and smells from the old days of going and renting a tape, only on my Kindle in a bite-sized block of claustrophobia and anxiety.

Hawke’s a really great writer, his style lends itself to you wanting to read it and when mixed with something he’s passionate about, makes for a fantastic read.

5/5

Book Review: The Worst Is Yet to Come by S.P. Miskowski

Title: The Worst Is Yet to Come

Author: S.P. Miskowski

Release date: February 22, 2019

I’m admittedly late to the Miskowski game, but having now devoured her 2019, Stoker-nominated release ‘The Worst Is Yet to Come,’ I completely understand what those folks mean when they say I have to read her work because her writing is compulsively enthralling.

I wasn’t sure where to dive in – she has a number of books set within her fictional town of Skillute, Washington, but this one grabbed me first when I was reading the synopsis’, so I’m not sure if I did this completely backwards or out of order or what. I will say, I had no issues within this one. I didn’t feel left out or that a secret had been shared in a different book, which speaks to the power of Miskowski’s storytelling, but also to the finely crafted way of telling this particularly story.

What I liked: The book follows Tasha, a middle grade student who has always felt alone, always felt like an outsider. Her parents moved from Seattle to Skillute, to escape the problems plaguing big cities, but Tasha’s time there has been difficult, especially as her parents themselves became more reclusive. The story itself really ramps up when she befriends Briar, a mysterious new student who is an outsider like Tash. The two girls become fast friends and as circumstances change in Brair’s life, she comes to stay with Tasha and her family.

Miskowski weaves a tale infused with folklore, socio-political touch points and parent-child relationship dynamics. It works wonderfully – though remaining tension-filled – as we hurtle towards the reveals, towards the truth behind Tasha and Briar’s lives and how they both arrived to this point in time.

As well, we get a really great peek into Skillute and the horror that has now been unleashed and the ‘thing’ that begins possessing people and working towards breaking loose and becoming free.

The ending – taken as a singular release – is brutally open-ended. It was a magnificent bit of ‘fade to black’ where so much remains unanswered but the reader will absolutely decide in their own minds what comes next. Taken as a puzzle piece within a larger story, it definitely sets up larger parts to come into play and I’d be really curious to see where this one goes.

What I didn’t like: I don’t know if I was totally sold on the two moms. When put into context with what happened in their lives, it does make sense, but without the context you receive later on, at first some of their responses and reactions almost come off as comical and absurd instead of worrisome and suspicious.

And, as mentioned, if you don’t like open-ended endings, you may find this one ends a bit jarringly, so reader be warned.

Why you should buy this: A phenomenally paced story, Miskowski instantly transported me to this strange little hamlet and I was enthralled with the characters from the very beginning. I wanted to see Tasha get a friend, wanted to see her and Briar become friends and when they visited Tasha’s secret house, I was intrigued with the kids who watched them.

All and all, this was a fantastic story that touches on a lot of ground in a shorter page count and one that had me on the edge of my seat the entire time.

5/5

Book Review: Cold Keep Reprisal by James Lurid

Title: Cold Keep Reprisal

Author: James Lurid

Release date: July 1st, 2023

Huge thanks to James for sending me a digital-ARC of his debut novel.

What does it say about the current state of Alberta that when I was contacted by James, I saw he’s also in Alberta, so I had to do a dive into his Facebook page to see if there was any horrendous views expressed. Alberta – sadly (and possibly has always been like this, I’m not sure being a transplant from BC) – has devolved into a Canadian Florida for many things. I won’t go too far into it at all, but thankfully, James had shared articles and had made posts that affirmed to me he was on the up and up. Now, for some of you, you may think that’s overkill, but for me, it’s necessary. I work hard to support marginalized people and make sure they know I’m an ally and my feeds are a safe place.

As for the novel itself, I was intrigued. I enjoy possession/haunting stories that take place in a specific area, so beyond just a singular person possessed, but the actual place itself and with it set in a prison, I wanted to see what Lurid would do. Granted, prison-based stories (and movies/TV shows) are normally not my thing, but this had me very curious. So, I dove in.

What I liked: The novel follows Walter, a police officer dealing with significant PTSD, who is unwilling to get help. Following an incident where he uses excessive force, a bargain is made. Instead of losing his job, he’ll go into a prison undercover to see why so many inmates are dying.

It’s from here that James takes us on an imaginative and thrilling roller coaster of a ride. Walter tentatively makes friends while inside, but his ulterior motive for actually being inside guides his decisions and continues to get him in trouble.

When the possession element is introduced, it ramps things up another notch. The Indigenous aspects and care in treating it with respect was phenomenal and acknowledged in the afterword. This aspect, of what was there before and what has been unleashed, made for an engaging antagonist, above and beyond the inmates themselves.

Lurid drags us, kicking and screaming, through a few different set pieces, which leads us up to the brutal, blistering ending. The epilogue can be considered both an ending or a set up for a sequel, but either way, us readers get more questions answered than most books.

What I didn’t like: As I mentioned, I’m not a huge fan of prison-based stuff as a whole. It can be monotonous and honestly, we know what’s going to happen. So the confines of the setting restricted this novel at the beginning. The inmates are stuck in the their cells. And when they leave for food, work etc, you know someone is going to try something, so there’s very little in the way of the element of surprise.

As well, I really disliked the cartoonish nature of the warden. His character reminded me of the warden in the final Human Centipede movie, and every time he showed up in the novel, I felt myself wanting to tune out. His character works well for what needs to be done, but I could’ve done without him.

Why you should buy this: ‘Cold Keep Reprisal’ is a very solid debut novel. It has a pacing that works well for those taking a chance on a new author and James controls the tension perfectly, making sure to slowly ramp it up instead of an all-or-nothing approach many new writers take.

The possession aspect was top notch and the characters will be ones you either root for or hope get ripped apart, and really what more could you want?

4/5

Book Review: I’m In the Band by Sean Yseult

Title: I’m In the Band: Backstage Notes from the Chick in White Zombie

Author: Sean Yseult

Release date: November 1st, 2010

Way back in 1992, White Zombie’s album ‘La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One’ was released. Eleven-year-old Steve didn’t buy the album right away, but his neighbor, Bob Moody Jr. did and, so it was, during that summer, as he so often did, he had a party. Bob was probably ten years older than me or so, and fuck did I think he was the coolest guy I’d ever met. He could wheelie his BMX up and down the road in front of our place, he always had the hottest chicks over and he would blast the best music. He introduced me to Rainbow Butt Monkeys (who’d become Finger Eleven not long after), Cypress Hill, Metallica, Megadeth and so, so many more. I didn’t have an older brother (or any brothers for that matter) but Bob filled that place in my mind, even if he didn’t know that. Well, back to that party in the summer. I heard an album come on, and against my mothers rule that I wasn’t allowed to go over to the neighbors when they were partying – they would drink and smoke dope (scandalous I know!) – I went. Because ‘Thunder Kiss ’65’ and ‘Black Sunshine’ and ‘I Am Legend’ were being blasted on repeat. Bob stopped the CD and told me to go home and listen to it as much as I wanted. It was a transformative moment in my life. White Zombie has occupied a special place since that July day in 1992. I wasn’t allowed to order that album from Columbia House EVER. Even though I was ordering Cannibal Corpse, Six Feet Under and Marilyn Manson albums from Columbia House. Nope, something was different in my mom’s eyes about White Zombie and she refused to let me order it. Which is funny now, because she likes ‘Dragula’ from Rob Zombie.

When ‘Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs of Love, Destruction and Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head’ came out in 1995, I desperately wanted to buy it, ‘More Human Than Human’ dominating Loud on MuchMusic on Saturday nights, but not only was I not allowed to buy it, I couldn’t find it anywhere to secretly get it. When ‘Supersexy Swingin’ Sounds’ came out in 1996, I bought that on a soccer tournament trip, knowing that there was no way I wasn’t going to be allowed to keep it. Not long after, in Trail, BC, I was able to track down a copy of ‘Astro Creep’ and buy it, along with a White Zombie shirt, which I had for years.

All of this is to say, White Zombie has been and will continue to be a band that brings me joy, fills my heart with warmth and bludgeons my ears – most likely until the day I can’t hear anything every again. My vehicle still has a CD player in it, and I keep a copy of ‘Astro Creep’ in the car as I listen to it ALL the time.

But it’s funny, because as time has gone on, there’s been a shift for me. At first, when Rob Zombie began his solo career, I was over the moon. I bought all his albums, saw him in concert – as I was never able to see White Zombie in concert – and loved a lot of what he put out. But as the years have past, I’ve found my music ear has subtly shifted. A lot of Rob’s new music is either too cartoony for me, or just not enjoyable. As I’ve re-listened to his older stuff, I’ve found the same. I tend to enjoy a handful of songs off the early albums but the rest feels like filler.

When Sean Yseult released this book, the book I’m supposed to be writing a review for and not some long piece on my love of White Zombie (!), I wanted to buy it, but nobody was carrying it in Abbotsford, where I lived at the time, and none of the usual suspects were even able to order it in.

It wasn’t until a few months ago that Brandi, the owner of Daisy Chain Bookstore here in Edmonton, said she would be willing to try and track it down for me. And she did! And not only that – it wasn’t ridiculously expensive, especially considering it is a 150pg book of glorious photos, journals and retrospectives.

What I liked: The book is exactly as marketed. It begins with sharing Sean’s childhood, her musical, theatrical and design leaners, before her chance meeting with Rob and the development of their relationship and the band, White Zombie. From there, we get to follow along as they rose from rat-infested apartments to one of the biggest metal bands in the 90’s, a band that released one of the best albums ever made and blew up like rocket as they ascended to their peak.

Sean does a wonderful job of showing the chaos of the early days, the chaos of the formative musical period and the absolute chaos of when ‘La Sexorcisto’ hit and Beavis and Butthead propelled them into the mainstream.

The photos are just phenomenal. I’ve already began flipping through the book again, seeing the different moments, bands and places they went to and toured with. Sean stays fairly neutral throughout, only touching briefly on her and Rob’s break up and the subsequent tension between the two of them.

The book is also interspersed with insight from J and Tempesta, the guitar player and drummer respectively from ‘Astro Creep’ as well as from some of the former members of the band throughout the years. It was a neat way to showcase just how much of a jumbled mess it was and how the noise band that didn’t fit in with any genre became a metal band that crushed all who came before them.

Sean wraps it all up by showcasing where her life had went (at that time) following the break up of White Zombie. How they said they were on hiatus, even as Rob secretly recorded Hellbilly Deluxe.

For White Zombie fans, this is such a gloriously done look at the history of the band that it is absolutely a MUST read.

What I didn’t like: As Sean even says in the author’s note/acknowledgements – this isn’t a comprehensive biography. It is a look at different moments, throughout their decade long career of rising up, getting to the top and walking away from each other, so there are things fans of the band will want to know but that won’t be answered.

As well, anything with White Zombie’s history not featuring anything from Rob will always be considered incomplete. Saying that – this is Sean’s story and while it would be great to one day get something from Rob (and maybe even a one off reunion show), I wouldn’t hold my breath and you won’t find it in here.

Why you should buy this: If you love White Zombie or just really enjoy the behind-the-scenes look into bands that rise up and dominate, this is a fantastic book that does just that. It shows how a rag tag group of misfits overcame the odds and made it to the top, all the while looking like the exact opposite of who was popular at the time.

I loved this book and it’s a book I’ll continuously revisit over the years, and one I’ll cherish as a massive fan of White Zombie.

5/5

Book Review: Kill River by Cameron Roubique

Title: Kill River

Author: Cameron Roubique

Release date: August 1st, 2015

Man, I’ve had this languishing on my Kindle for far too long.

David Sodergren has told me to read Roubique a million times. LJ Dougherty has told me read Roubique a million times. When I was on a podcast with Cameron, David and LJ, everyone insisted I read Cameron. So, I’m happy to report – I’ve finally got to the book one of the Kill River series.

I went in completely blind other than knowing it was a slasher novel involving teenagers and a water park.

What I liked: Because I went into this one completely blind, it made for a very odd opening when we get to meet our four main teens – Stacy, Cyndi, Brad and Zach as they arrive at summer camp. Cyndi is the new girl in the group, the other three having been there previously, but is quickly welcomed as part of their friendship. After some things go down, they decide to escape and go home late one night, only to get lost and end up at an abandoned water park.

It’s here, at the water park that the slasher aspect arrives and it becomes a story of survival and just who will survive. The action is fast and furious and the teens struggle to survive and make it out alive.

It was great to see the strong female characters in Stacy and Cyndi, all too often in slashers are the girls there to just be killed after showing their boobs, but this went the opposite direction and we got to see them stand up for themselves and each other and do what needed to be done to survive.

The ending works well to have this as a one off or for the reader to continue on and see what happens in the second novel. I really enjoy when an author sets things up like that as it give the reader the control over whether they want to continue.

What I didn’t like: This was a novel of two different halves. The first half was actually a really engaging summer camp story, of these four teens connecting and bonding and helping Cyndi come out of her shell. I would’ve been delighted if the novel would’ve stayed at that location and the slasher aspect arrived there. But what really threw me for a loop, was that they leave, get lost, find this abandoned waterpark and instead of trying to continue on and find help, they decided to remain all day and use the rides and have fun. It was hard to wrap my head around that decision.

Additionally, we only got a singular paragraph even discussing the ‘why’ of what happened with the waterpark and being abandoned. I’m in the camp where I think if the novel would’ve started at that water park and stayed at the water park, we would’ve had more pages to learn the horrors that await. The two distinct locations I think was a bit of a lost opportunity to expand upon one or the other.

Why you should buy this: If you like slashers, 80s-slashers, teens surviving in slashers or just straight-up action-packed novels where the characters have to survive against the hardest of odds, then this one is for you. Roubique has an easy way of getting the reader into his writing almost immediately and you’ll feel like the characters were people you know in your day-to-day life.

This was a fun one and definitely one for folks who dig the retro-horror-slasher genre!

4/5

Book Review: Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Title: Hidden Pictures

Author: Jason Rekulak

Release date: May 10th, 2022

When this novel came out it was EVERYWHERE on my social media feeds. It was plastered on IG daily and I continuously saw folks raving about it on Twitter. The premise had me intrigued, a young woman, just out of rehab begins working as a babysitter for a rich family and begins to notice a strangeness to the young boy’s artwork.

I often find I get very curious about the ‘different’ takes on supernatural thrillers. ‘Smithy’ for instance had me so excited to read – a novel about a group teaching sign language to a primate, only to discover the primate is communicating with a ghost. And while that book ultimately didn’t deliver for me, that premise has remained in my head as something different, something unique.

So, it was, that I came to find ‘Hidden Pictures’ at the top of my TBR list and I giddily dove in.

What I liked: As mentioned, the story follows Mallory, struggling with personal guilt and grief over her sister’s death and her subsequent downward spiral into addiction. She’s now eighteen months clean and her sponsor arranges for her to babysit (after first nailing the in-person interview) for Caroline and Ted for the summer. Their young son, Teddy, is about to start at a new school so it’ll be Mallory’s job to try and coax Teddy out of their shell and hopefully make some friends over the summer.

It’s soon enough that we learn that Teddy has an imaginary friend, Anya, and that Anya appears in his drawings. Rekulak takes his time, slowly introducing the photos, Anya’s presence and how fiercely against the suggestion his drawings mean anything that Caroline is.

Mallory, meanwhile, begins running again – her passion before the accident with her sister – and meets a young man her age, Adrian, who she hits it off with. Adrian becomes her rock, the person she can lean on, as things begin to unfold and several truths are revealed.

Rekulak keeps his cards close to his chest throughout, until we get to an explosive final scene where everything is revealed and an epilogue that fills in the gaps and lets us know what occurred post ‘The End.’

The novel rampages along. I was hooked from the beginning and was wholly invested in Mallory and her quest to find the truth.

What I didn’t like: I did find that even though I was hooked and loved how this one flowed, I felt that it was overly long. That there was a significant amount of repetition in chapters where I wasn’t sure why we had two or three chapters in a row that essentially told the reader the exact same thing. 

And as for the ‘reveal,’ there were a few sentences that I think were supposed to be subtle but stuck out like a billboard, which created an ending that I didn’t find as shocking as I think I was supposed to.

Why you should buy this: From page one until the very end, I was invested. I wanted to know what happened and even when I had an inkling (which became a strong theory) I had to know the truth and I couldn’t wait to get back to the book every day. That, to me at least, is a strong suggestion that this was a really solid book and I think if you’re looking for a supernatural thriller that will have you racing through it, look no further.

5/5

Book Review: And By God’s Hand You Shall Die by David Sodergren

Title: And By God’s Hand You Shall Die

Author: David Sodergren

Release date: June 30, 2023

I had the extreme pleasure and honor of beta reading this novel, but I told David I would be posting a review of this as well, and he was a-ok with that.

As with all of David’s works, you know you’re in for a treat. Expect salaciousness, gore aplenty and characters you’ll root for and gasp if they don’t make it. If you follow his Twitter account and see the love for specific movies, you’ll know going in where his inspiration lies with each novel and this one’s no different.

Oddly enough, I’d just finished reading Stephanie Parent’s fantastic ‘The Briars,’ which created the rare situation where I’d read two books set in brothels back to back.

What I liked: The novel follows Candy, a young woman with big dreams who finds it tough making her way in the world. She begins working at a brothel, which just so happens to be the site of a former church, that was brought to the ground by a fire.

It’s with that in mind that we get a novel that offers us a historical look at a cross section in time, when, in the 70’s, people in power would be visiting these places daily, only to turn around and fight to ban them in public. This was a time just before New York worked to clean up its image and with that a few years away, a small group of protestors had already begun to scream and rant that the place was filled with whores and devil worshippers.

As the novel progresses, we get to see Father Patrick’s return, how his rantings come true and how it comes to relate to each of the women working there. This leads to some truly gruesome moments, some fantastically done religious carnage and above all else, we get to see how the death of one is a tragedy.

What I didn’t like: In the grand scheme of things it’s minor, but I HATED the woman running the place. She didn’t come off as caring about the women in the least, when I really thought she would’ve been considering they bring the men back, and without the men, there’s no cash flow.

Why you should buy this: If you’re already a fan of Sodergren’s – this is a no-brainer. A thought-provoking novel that is tension-filled and phenomenally paced, its a hard read to put down.

If you’ve never read any of his work, this is a solid place to dive in. This would be more on the extreme side of his work, akin to ‘The Perfect Victim’ and ‘Satan’s Burnouts Must Die!,’ David weaves another tale that’ll have you wrapped around his talented hand and once done, you’ll be grabbing the rest of his books!

A total blast, this one was great.

5/5

Book Review: Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

Title: Whalefall

Author: Daniel Kraus

Release date: August 8th, 2023

Firstly – HUGE, MASSIVE THANK YOU!!!! to Randall at Simon and Schuster for scoring me an ARC of this novel this past weekend while in Toronto. I can’t thank you enough for this kind gift!

Since this novel was announced, I was on the edge of my seat. A diver gets swallowed by a whale. This past weekend, while in Toronto at the Andrew Pyper/The Demonologist event, this novel was continuously brought up, and, time-and-time-again, each and every person, whether a horror writer or reader said the same thing – “That is my biggest fear.”

It’s crazy isn’t it? The oceans remain largely unexplored and we really don’t know much, if anything about all of its secrets and what lives below where the light can no longer reach. And for the most part, what we do know is frightening as hell. You go too deep – KABOOM! – the pressure of the water crushes you. You surface too fast – KABOOM! – the gas inside you destroys you. You spend too much time in the water, the gases you breathe in make you delirious and you drunkenly drown. And of course – you’re always in danger of being stung by a poisonous animal, or ripped apart by a shark and its massive teeth.

The ocean is inherently scary place. Yet, being swallowed by a massive whale ramps up that fear factor to another level.

There’s been dozens (if not more) books over the years discussing this and many of us remember the Pinocchio scene from childhood, but Daniel Kraus has done something truly special here. I wasn’t sure just how special until I finished reading it, but even while cruising through the pages where I was staying in Toronto or while flying home, I knew I was reading a modern masterpiece.

What I liked: The story follows Jay, a young man on the verge of graduating high school and moving on with his life, a life he wants to leave behind. A life filled with people who idolized his dad and who blames him for turning his back on the man. His father, Mitt, was a local legend, a man who’d dived more than any and who knew everything there is to know about that world.

On this day, Jay is going on his final dive, a dive revolving around his father and while down there, he is accidentally entangled with a squid and swallowed by a whale.

From here, Kraus does a phenomenal job of keeping us compelled to continue on, to learn more and more about Mitt and Jay’s estranged relationship, what happened after their last time on a boat together and just how much of Mitt’s life-long lessons he’d bestowed on Jay, that Jay’s remembered. He needs to remember them because that’s the only way he’ll have a chance at making it out of this massive Sperm Whale alive.

I’ve seen comparisons to ‘The Martian’ for this one, and I can say that is pretty accurate. Displaced man in an inhospitable environment with time running out before they die. The similarities were fascinating considering one was on Mars while the other was inside a 60-ton whale, but it worked so well and I think it’s a great way to get folks captivated in a story that they may otherwise not take a chance on.

The father-son relationship was such an emotional element and was a highlight throughout. In fact – and I don’t think this is a spoiler – Jay isn’t swallowed by a whale until right around page 120 or so. But Kraus did such an amazing job of throwing us into the parent-child dynamic and the nature of their relationship that I was holy invested. In fact, I would’ve been content to continue reading about Jay’s dive regarding his father and what he’s trying to do and rehashing their differences, without even a whale aspect. Of course, the whale comes along and takes this to a whole other level, but Kraus’ portrayal of those two was spot-on and held me rapt from the very beginning until the whale arrives.

The ending was pristine, powerful and an ending befitting the nature of the story and the events that brought us to the final page.

What I didn’t like: While I loved the ending, I could’ve handled a bit more about the after. About what takes place post finale. I really can’t say more – spoilers and such – but what we do get is pretty vague, as though looking at the details through smudged binoculars.

Why you should buy this: I mean, a guy gets swallowed by a whale. If just reading that has you amped – get on this – preorder and sit back and count down the days until it loads on your Kindle or ships to your house. If you’re still on the fence, consider the father-son story line, the powerfulness Kraus infuses in the age-old story of a parent and a child at odds and both wondering how they can patch up their relationship while neither want to take that step. This one was just so, so very good and Kraus has absolutely delivered.

5/5

Book Review: Seed by Ania Ahlborn

Title: Seed

Author: Ania Ahlborn

Release date: May 28th, 2011

I had the oddest experience reading ‘Seed.’ Or re-reading it. I’m not too sure now.

As many of you may know, I read a lot. Back when I began to discover other horror authors outside of Stephen King, Ania Ahlborn was one of the first with her fantastic novels ‘Brother,’ and ‘The Devil Crept In.’ After reading those two, I purchased almost all of her others books that’d been out by that point. The next one I had on my TBR was ‘Seed.’

And this is where my confusion sets in. I’m 99% certain I started reading it previously. I’m 99% certain I didn’t finish it due to one more or another. But, the odd thing is, now having read it from front to back, I’m 99% certain I have read it before, as everything came back to me and I knew what was going to happen well before it did. It was so odd and I’ve never experienced anything like that before.

Saying all of that – I was excited to dive into this one for what I thought was my first reading of it. I love stories of entities spying, things coming to kids and latching on and how the past can haunt you, no matter how far away you move from it.

What I liked: The story follows Jack, a husband and father, doing his best to provide for his wife and kids while fighting the crushing sense of not being good enough and not providing enough. He plays part-time in a band and he has kept a secret from his wife for as long as they’ve known each other – that he’s running from something from his past and he’s afraid it’ll find him.

And you know what? It does.

It’s from this point on that Ahlborn does what she does best – creep the reader the fuck out. Few authors have a way of making even the most mundane moments drip with tension, but Ania has found a way to have each word carry a shadow throughout.

The pacing is fantastic, the family dynamics work so very well and as the back story unfolds more and more, you can see how frightened Jack truly is.

The ending is repulsively delicious – cruel but necessary – especially if you’ve been reading a lot of books that fall into this subgenre of horror fiction.

What I didn’t like: I wasn’t too keen on how long it takes for the reader to get a good morsel of back story. I think the dread (which is phenomenal and palpable) would’ve been ramped up even more if we got more of Jack’s childhood sooner than the teaser’s we get for half the book or so.

Why you should buy this: Having conclusively read this now, I have to say, it holds up as one of Ahlborn’s best and showcases just why she’s such an amazing author. Dark, violent, visceral and creepy as hell, ‘Seed,’ contains an atmosphere that few authors can conjure and never once does it waver. Not even when we all discover the horror that awaits us at the very end.

5/5