Steve Stred's Blog, page 5

Book Review: The Earth Bleeds At Night Anthology. Edited by Holly Cornetto

Title: The Earth Bleeds At Night

Edited by Holly Cornetto

Release date: January 3rd, 2025

*Thank you to Michelle and Eerie River for sending me a digital ARC of this one!*

When this anthology was announced, I was super excited for it to arrive in the world. Knowing Holly’s love of folk horror and folk lore, I knew this would be curated with a fantastic batch of stories that would make the reader uneasy.

One thing I find with anthologies – especially with themed ones – is that the flow of story-to-story has to make sense, has to feel like they’ve each been placed like precious puzzle pieces just perfectly to aid in how I respond to it, and I was delighted to find that it did just that.

But what of the individual stories themselves?

Let’s find out!

What I liked: As a massive fan of creepy trees, odd horns and things standing in the corner when the lights are flicked on, ‘The Earth Bleeds At Night’ is stuffed to the brim with all of that, while also adding in a dose of other elements.

Highlights for me were;

‘You’ll Catch Your Death’ by Dexter McLeod. A slab of Clive Barker inspired madness, this story follows a couple who – don’t they always? – makes the mistake of choosing the wrong B ‘n’ B. While there, they learn of the dreaded entity known as The Lord of Meat and – rightly – chaos ensues. McLeod wrote this one with a perfect mix of gore and mental instability, making me question why I loved it so much, when so many horrible things happen in a tight page count.

‘Water Drops on Stone Hearts’ by Christopher O’Halloran. Jesus Christ on the cross. This story reworks how your heart beats and then some. Simple synopsis – shitty mom learns of her daughters death and goes to her funeral. Complex synopsis – death weaves its way through time and space to connect two who lost that connection. There’s a lot of deep metaphorical elements in this one and it forces you to re-read the ending a few times, coming to grips with the hellish beauty of a story you just consumed. Well done.

‘A Mousy Little Thing’ by Christi Nogle. This one was easily the most unnerving story – even more than O’Halloran’s – in that from the first sentence of the story, you know something’s off, just not right. It follows a girl with an extraordinary gift, but one that comes with a cost and horrifying ripples. I’ll be avoiding every mud puddle I ever see again in my life.

The absolute highlight for me though, of all the stories, was C.M. Forest’s deliciously dark ‘It Is the Night!’ Think del Toro’s ‘The Strain’ only mixed with archeological elements. The story follows an investigative reporter who has been writing ‘hit-pieces’ on a noted and reclusive Billionaire. The Billionaire then extends an invitation to her, to interview him, but only with one caveat, it’s taking place on his private jet. We learn the horrible truth, what it all means to the woman, and ultimately, Forest packs in an entire novel’s worth of lore, back story and themes in about 10K words. Outstanding.

Overall, most of the stories hit the beats really effectively and the writing shined in those ones.

What I didn’t like:  I will say, there were a few stories that simply fell flat for me. They started strong and tapered off, or just never hit the right reading currency for me. Anthologies are always a case of readers connecting with different stories, so as always, the ones I loved may be ones you don’t enjoy and vice versa.

Why you should buy this: Eerie River has put on a lot of really solid and wonderful books and ‘The Earth Bleeds At Night’ is another solid anthology of solid stories. This one has something for everyone and each story will take the reader on wild and crazy journey’s.

Overall, a really well done anthology that will most likely cause you to never sleep in the dark again.

4/5

Remembering my friend, Andrew Pyper

Andrew Pyper

March 29th, 1968 – January 3rd, 2025

*

The start of a new year is always filled with excitement and joy for the potential. The ‘what’s to come.’ We make resolutions, celebrate the previous year’s ups and reflect on the down’s and challenge ourselves to do better. To be better.

I had almost two weeks off from work over the Holiday’s, and it was spent with my wife and son, as well as a week with my mother-in-law and father-in-law. It was a mix of quality time and fun things. We went to a bunch of Christmas light events. We went to the Zoo for their Christmas celebration. We rang in the New Year’s by attending the family fireworks event. And we watched movies, played games and made memories.

On Friday, January 3rd, Amanda, Auryn and I went to the Royal Alberta Museum, or the RAM.

We love the RAM, go frequently, and we wanted to catch the new exhibit – artwork based around neurology and emotions. In Alberta, there’s a pass you can get called the ‘Explore Alberta’ pass. I think this is our third year getting one. It covers the admission to a ton of places around the province, with the RAM being one of them.

We spent a solid three hours there, revisited the Angkor exhibit before it closed and moved elsewhere, and then we packed up to head home.

First though, we needed to make a stop at a grocery store.

It was while at the store, that I looked at my phone and saw I had a DM notification from my good friend, Randall. The last line was his phone number, and my heart sank.

I knew.

I swiped my screen, entered my pin, and read his DM. It said ‘Oh man. This is a sad day. I’m thinking about you.’ Then he said I could give him a call and he included his phone number.

And I knew.

*

I’m not sure how or where to go from here. I’m struggling. I really am. And it’s an odd place to be mentally.

I’ve hardly slept. I’ve had a million things running through my mind at all hours of the day. Thinking of his family, his friends, their dog, his books, our times together.

My brain is wired in such a way that I need to write things. I need to express myself through writing. I have an easier time putting down hard truth’s in a word doc than having them rumble around my brain. I’ve stopped and started this a dozen times. One piece of writing advice Andrew gave me early on, was to examine what you’ve written with a critical eye. To never rush it and never launch it out before it’s ready. And outline. He was an ardent outliner.

I’d hoped the return to work would’ve eased some of the pain, stolen my focus, but it hasn’t.

*

The discovery of Andrew Pyper’s ‘The Demonologist’ changed my life.

I bought it, read it and once I was finished, I understood that I could do it. I could write a book. Now, don’t get me wrong, I never believed – nor do I believe now – that I could write half as well as Andrew, or anywhere close to his caliber, but after having toiled away working on my first novel – a novel I re-released just this past October 2024 – which surreally is about a man coming to grips with a terminal illness – reading ‘The Demonologist’ and discovering that Andrew was Canadian created a monumental shift in my own beliefs.

A Canadian did it. This Canadian could too.

*

Since the news broke of Andrew’s passing, my notifications have been non-stop.

There’s been an outpouring of grief, but also a kindness in people asking how I’m holding up. I think Andrew would find it humorous that my most liked and commented on post about him is my post that he’s passed. I also hope his wife and kids see the love being shown towards him.

I feel a heaviness constantly. It’s a mixture of devastation, heartbreak and confusion. And guilt. I feel this guilt that so many people are checking on me, when in my heart, I’m still just a super fan. I hope people are stopping by at their home, that his wife is being showered with hugs. His kids are finding some light.

I used a fitting metaphor on fellow author, Tessa Wegert’s, Instagram post about Andrew. I said that Andrew was a beautiful spider who sent millions of gorgeous threads out into the wider world.

I believe that. Andrew Pyper was literature’s Kevin Bacon.

It’s hard pressed to find somebody who didn’t know him, hadn’t had any kind interaction with him or even received a blurb from him. He was there to help and use his platform to see you succeed.

It was through Andrew that I connected with Tessa. And I have hundreds more authors that I connected with, through him. Even now, I’ve had people message me to say that, while they didn’t know me, they’d seen some of my posts of Andrew’s books and wanted to send their condolences along.

I think it’s because people see this special connection that we had, that we shared. Often, we see readers rave about an author’s book, but seldom do we see it grow into a friendship like Andrew, and I had. To me, he was a celebrity.

If you’ve ever read one of Andrew’s books because of something I posted – thank you.

*

Back in 2016, when I was transitioning from being an athlete to start writing, my writing world was small. All my social media pages were dedicated to sports. I even put a poll on my Facebook athlete page about whether I should just switch it to my author page or delete it and start over. All my followers at that time wanted to keep following me, so I switched it and that was the extent of my author’s world. Not long after, I discovered Books of Horror and connected with a few other authors, but it was seeing people posting book photos and reviews etc. on Instagram and Twitter that I noticed that not enough people were posting about Andrew’s books.

From that point on, I made it a personal mission of mine to shout about Andrew’s phenomenal books to a wider audience. When he followed me back on Twitter, it was a banner day. When he replied to my first DM to him, I took a screenshot and sent it to my wife. My favorite author knew who I was, for that briefest of moments. He’d seen my message, sent his thanks back and I couldn’t believe it. From that point on, every single like, comment, share/retweet, etc. etc. that I ever received from Andrew rocketed me sky high.

I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again – Andrew didn’t need me posting about his books. He was a lauded, award-winning and International Bestseller long before I ever came along. He never once asked me to post anything. I wanted to share my love of his books with as many people as I could.

And even now, I think I could’ve done more.

In May of 2017, I hosted the first Pyper-May-Nia! A month of celebrating Andrew’s books and fiction. I’ve done it every May since and in 2023, there was a 10th Anniversary celebration of The Demonologist at Little Ghosts in Toronto. A whole bunch of authors and readers came out and we all toasted Andrew, shared laughs, hugs and drinks, and by all accounts it was a wonderful event for all who attended.

It was also my way of telling him in person just how much he meant to me.

Even now, I wonder if I told him enough.

*

Behind the scenes, since the 10th Anniversary Celebration, Andrew and I had been involved in a few projects together.

The first was a non-fiction book titled ‘Provoking Fear – How Andrew Pyper’s Novels Changed the Landscape of Canadian Fiction.’ Andrew was super excited about it and every time I sent him an update, he was beyond thrilled to hear. It was picked up tentatively by an agent and a publisher, but ultimately, they declined, as the sample chapter I sent in with the pitch, market analysis etc. etc. was deemed ‘too positive’ and didn’t discuss anything negative towards the book I’d focused on. I told Andrew that I simply couldn’t do that. He understood.

With Andrew passing, I’ll be permanently shelving the book. In the future, I’ll release the sample chapter I wrote, as I think Andrew would love you all to read it.

The second was Mason Coile graphics. About 75% of the ‘William’ graphics you’ve seen Andrew post were graphics I made for him. Andrew had often DM’d me or emailed me about how I’d made something or posted something, as he wasn’t overly ‘graphic savvy.’ I started making stuff and sending it to him for him to post or not, and if he wanted anything specific, he’d message me and let me know. I’ll probably make some stuff and post it when the last two Mason Coile novels arrive.

A quick side story here, if you’ll allow.

Tik Tok was a place that neither of us could comprehend. He made a few videos over there, posted a few things, but in our conversations about posting content, neither of us could wrap our heads around that world. One time, I’d excitedly messaged him to share that a video I posted of one of his books had hit 4k views, which was astronomically higher than my other videos. He replied, ‘Watch out Kardashians!’ and I burst out laughing. It was a classic Andrew response, but it also had me wondering if him and the family used to sit down each week to catch up with Kim and her crew.

That the video I posted of my son and I, each wearing the ‘Read Andrew Pyper’ shirt is still my most viewed video makes me smile now.

The third project was a Guiness Book of World Records attempt. With Andrew’s blessing, I submitted an application to Guiness for the World Record of having the largest collection of Andrew Pyper books as well as the largest collection of signed Andrew Pyper books. The record attempt was accepted by Guiness, and I’m currently waiting to find out about getting it ratified and certified. Andrew thought it was the coolest thing ever, so I hope it can happen for him.

Lastly, Andrew and I had worked out the details for my own imprint, Black Void Publishing, to release the 30th Anniversary Edition of ‘Kiss Me,’ his debut short story collection. 2016 marks the 30th Anniversary and we’d confirmed the cover art, table of contents, foreword and afterword writers and release date. Andrew was excited for the book to relaunch and return to the small press world where it started.

Fitting, he called it.

I’m honestly not sure where this stands now. I’d love to proceed with it, and hopefully we can have a huge launch celebration, but ultimately this is a ‘wait and see’ project. I’ll continue working on it on my end, and proceed full steam ahead, but at this stage I simply don’t have any concrete answers.

Additionally, the Andrew Pyper Archives website I curate will continue, and will remain focused on showcasing all of Andrew’s phenomenal books.

*

In September 2024, Andrew’s newest/latest novel, and the first under his Mason Coile pseudonym, ‘William’ was released. It was Andrew’s first new physical book since ‘The Residence’ in 2020. Between that period, he’d released the ‘Oracle’ and ‘Oracle 2’ audiobooks, and had been working on various screenplays, but this was his first real book in four years. It was a time of great excitement. The sequel, ‘Exiles’ was announced as coming in 2025, and people were raving about ‘William.’

For me, it meant more books for my Pyper shelves. I had the ARC’s of ‘William,’ paperbacks and hardcovers and the German edition was on its way.

In the meantime, I travelled to Ontario for DreadCon, where I was going to be hosting a panel with Andrew and Craig Davidson (aka Nick Cutter). I’d pitched the panel to Michelle, and was thrilled to learn both Andrew and Craig were receptive to the idea.

The trip was pure magic and a highlight of my career – right alongside the 10th Anniversary celebration.

It was there that I knew in my heart something was going on with Andrew, though he never out rightly told me.

I’ve had many, many people message to ask about his illness and how it was a shock. Andrew chose to keep it to close friends and family, as was his right, but seeing him that day, I knew, and it broke my heart that this person I cared for so much was dealing with something of a significant magnitude.

*

The drive to DreadCon is etched in my mind. Just like the trip to Toronto for the celebration.

Andrew picked me up early, and we bantered back and forth during the 90-minute drive like long time friends. Once there, I had him sign some books I’d brought before we went in.

I had no idea those would be the last ones he’d ever sign for me.

Originally, Andrew was going to drive me to and from DreadCon, but that changed. He arranged for Craig Davidson to give me a ride back after the event, as Andrew had to head out early – his son had his first hockey game of the season that afternoon and Andrew didn’t want to miss it.

Over the past few days, I’ve emailed with Craig a number of times – bless his heart, for if you know Craig, you know he’d rather still have a rotary phone than a cell phone or email – and I’ve learned a few things around the DreadCon weekend. While I won’t share those details here, learning them has filled my heart with so much joy.

Andrew was at DreadCon for a few hours.

We did the panel, which was hilarious and great, and looking back, I’m so thankful that I concluded by thanking Andrew, and thanking them both, for their kindness, support, friendship and their books, that propelled me – and so many others – towards writing. We took some photos, then we went, and they signed books at a table. Then it was time for him to head out.

During the day, Andrew hugged me at least – if not more – a dozen times. Before he left, he gave Craig a big hug, then gave me a huge hug, kissed my cheek and told me how great it had been to see me. I didn’t want the guy to leave. This was my favorite author and my friend, why would I?

I had no idea I’d never see him again.

I had no idea that had been his way of saying goodbye to me in person.

But that’s how this works, isn’t it?

*

A few years back, myself, my wife and son, drove out to Trail, BC to spend some time with my sister, her husband and her two boys. Trail’s a few hours from where we grew up, and we always love visiting.

While there, my sister surprised my wife and I by sharing that she’d bought us each tattoos.

On the day of my appointment, I had my sister message and ask if I had time to get an extra piece done. The main tattoo I got was for my son. The second tattoo was a merged piece between the papercut from the cover of Andrew’s ‘The Killing Circle’ and the tree-circles from the cover of ‘The Wildfire Season.’ When my son was born, I was reading ‘The Wildfire Season’ in the hospital. Andrew was ecstatic when I sent him a photo and the first time I ever met him in person, he excitedly asked to see it.

I’ve looked at that tattoo a lot over the last few days.

A permanent display of my love for the man.

*

On January 3rd, 2025, not long after learning of Andrew’s passing, a package arrived.

It was the German edition of ‘William’ that had been stuck in the Canada Post strike.

It’s a gorgeous book, but it’s also an edition that will forever be tied to that day. And it’ll forever be the first book of Andrew’s on my shelves that will never be signed. I have a few others that I was waiting to send to him after the strike was over and the holiday season had quietened.

And truth be told, I’d secretly hoped that somehow, the next time I sent some books his way, he’d sneak an advanced, advanced ARC of ‘Exiles’ into the package back to me. With the love being shown to ‘William,’ I hope there’s a collective excitement growing even more for ‘Exiles’ and the third Coile book. If you’ve missed that news, Craig Davidson wrote it with Andrew, to make sure it met Andrew’s approval before he left us. I can’t thank Craig enough for that kindness to Andrew, and to all of Andrew’s fans out there.

*

I didn’t want to believe the news.

I broke down, I bawled, was held close by my wife.

It was reading the lovely words in his obituary and seeing his wife’s Instagram post that confirmed everything. I was floating on a strange cloud, hoping like hell that it was a mistake.

If you’re inclined, you can find his Just Giving obituary here;

https://justgiving.com/campaign/andrewpyper

And if you’re able, and can donate, you’d be helping plant some trees in Canada.

*

With Andrew’s passing, the rest of us are left with a massive hole.

He was a literary titan, a Canadian juggernaut and as a man, one of the very best to walk this earth. He was kind, caring, compassionate, handsome, quirky, witty, funny, self-deprecating and smart. He loved his wife, kids and dog so very much.

Andrew was the best.

And this is where we’re left, after the best are gone.

Time marches on.

It’s a fickle thing and soon it’ll be a week, a month, a year since Andrew left us.

I’ll always cherish the relationship I developed with Andrew. It was special, something unexpected that began as a fan sharing his admiration about his favorite author before developing into a friendship.

My thoughts remain with his wife, kids, family and close friends and I hope they know how much Andrew was loved by the community he championed for over thirty years.

Andrew is my favorite author and was a wonderful friend. And I’ll never forget that, or him, and I’m going to continue to shout about his books as long as I possibly can.

For how long will we be heartbroken? That’s the part of grief that can’t be answered. We don’t move on. But we can carry on, even when a part of our heart will forever be missing.

I hoped he knew how much we all loved him; how much I loved him.

I think he did.

Until we meet again, Andrew.

*

I’d like to close this by sharing some of Andrew’s own words.

Over a period of years, I’d been toiling away in my spare time on a memoir of sorts. A merging of my own life, mixed with how Andrew’s novels intertwined within it. I was worried that if I approached Andrew, he’d suggest I change the direction, and that I’d offend him. I was so stressed about it, that I’d even discussed how to approach Andrew with Adam Nevill, who’d featured a book about his own novels in his newsletter. Adam gave me a solid pep talk and didn’t believe Andrew would be offended.

When I told Andrew about the project, which became ‘The Color of Melancholy,’ he was elated and honored. When I asked if it was something he’d consider contributing a foreword for, he heartedly agreed, and to my surprise, had one emailed over within a few days. I read and re-read and re-read what he sent, absolutely stunned at how beautiful it was. Andrew Pyper’s prose has a resonance to it, a warmth and scope. Andrew told me, that while the foreword wasn’t specifically based on my love of his books, it was. It’s about the love each reader has for every book they’ve ever loved from their favorite author.

Here’s what he wrote.

*

Reading, among other things, is an act of companionship.

An odd sort, admittedly, as the interaction is between you and an inanimate object. A book.

A book cannot speak or answer questions, never mind offer advice or pay for drinks or tell us we look stupid in those new shoes we thought looked so cool when we tried them on in the store. It’s a fixed set of words arranged according to the decisions of its author, and thus is not a person in its own right, nor even a representation of one. On the face of it, you’d think a book would make a lousy friend.

And yet readers know that books – some of them, anyway, when read at the right place at the right time – are capable of dispelling loneliness in a way no hand-holding or I’ll-be-right-overing or advice-giving human being ever could. A book of this sort seems to not only entertain or inform or excite us, but actually know us better than we know ourselves, as if they’ve been made specially for us and have been patiently waiting on some bookstore or library shelf for us to find them.

The companionship that reading fiction offers is made even more strange by the fact that we connect with a story instead of a person, something made and not the one who made it. The author isn’t speaking to us. We’re interacting with the story, and through it, speaking with ourselves. Reading is to participate in something that lets us feel less alone while remaining alone.

So how to explain then the way that certain books read us instead of the other way around? This is the mysterious part. A stranger writes a thing and across time, geography, circumstances of identity, even death itself we are pulled into an intimate embrace. I don’t pretend to know how it happens. Whether or not the book is “good” or “popular” or “worthy” has little to do with it. We hear a voice in our heads as we read – not exactly our own voice, but one we recognize deeply and instantly – and we are in the company of a dear friend.

For all the isolation that reading has helped relieve in readers the act of writing remains a solitary exercise. And once we’ve finished writing a book and it’s published? It’s even worse. At this point the author is estranged not only from the book but its reception. We are powerless. The story we’ve made will be misunderstood, perhaps loved, more likely cast aside or ignored. We know from our own experience that some books connect with people in profound ways. But as authors, we have no way of predicting who these people will turn out to be, nor why.

The compensation in this one-way exchange is that we hope the book we make will be that “certain book” for someone out there in the wide world. A stranger to us just as the author is a stranger to them. The whole arrangement is built on the premise that if I imagined these events and characters and places and felt involved with them, someone else is bound to feel involved with them too. Sure, I’m weird. But isn’t there someone in the world who’s weird in the same way?

It’s a bit like the theory that argues that because the universe is infinite, there must be life out there somewhere. We write and read books with the same searching desire with which we put our eye to the telescope aimed up at the sky: show me I’m not alone.

*

Book Review: Last Night of Freedom by Dan Howarth

Title: Last Night of Freedom

Author: Dan Howarth

Release date: October 11th, 2024

If I’d have finished reading this book before the end of December, this book would’ve easily been on my top reads of last year. I did finish this a few days back, but due to the start of the new year slog and some life stuff, I held off on posting this until the 6th, when I was back to regular working hours and getting back into a groove.

When this was announced, I was super excited for it. Dan’s a phenomenal author and honestly, any book that features a cover like this is an automatic ‘must-buy’ for me. Much like everybody else, I have a gigantic TBR – which is ordered – but I make exceptions constantly and move things around, and this was one of those books I launched to the top of the TBR.

The synopsis reminded me a bit of Adam Nevill’s ‘The Ritual.’ A group of friends in a remote location suddenly are mixed up in a strange ritual. But it also kind of gave me hints of Marc E. Fitch’s fantastic ‘Boy in the Box.’

I dove in with anticipation, and honestly, this was one of those books where I wished I had an entire day to just sit, read and enjoy.

What I liked: The book follows a group of University friends – and some longer than that – who head to a remote northern town a stag. The group is excited, celebrating one of their friends upcoming nuptials and after checking in at a B ‘n’ B, head to a local pub.

It’s a quick, well executed set up, but it’s the tipping point as well. This is the last moment we see the group as just a group – and while I don’t see this next bit as a spoiler – if you’re going in completely blind then this mind startle you. But, the tipping point occurs when a wager is made, a bet is lost and the group finds out what they’re punishment is.

Howarth sets the scene perfectly and when the main member of the opposite group, Wallace, delivers the lines that transform the novel into what it is, each reader is going to have a very visceral reaction.

One weekend. One survivor. The other’s won’t make it.

It’s a startling moment, and even if you know it’s coming, it still completely catches you off guard.

From that point on, it’s a survival novel. Each person struggling to comprehend the situation and what it means if they’re the one to survive.

Howarth flips the story on its head multiple times, which was frankly a phenomenal aspect. Many parts of this feel more like a dramatic novel that just happens to take place within a thriller and its heightened because of this. This does perfectly what every extreme novel written to highlight the extreme aspects wishes it could do.

And, as the novel progresses, we get an unravelling. We learn each characters back stories, what makes them tick, what’s brought them to where they are at that point in life and ultimately, what they mean to each other.

The ending is pristine. Just such a sublime way to wrap things up and the epilogue hits all the right notes, subtly suggesting some angles while also closing the door on where you think things are going.

What I didn’t like:  There were two glaring things that irked me, one major and one minor. The major one, for me and my reading tastes, is that I hate POV changes and this one does just that. It jumps between chapters and characters, which is always disorienting for me. Saying that, you may love that way of storytelling. Not this guy, lol.

Second, and this was very very minor, but there’s a moment of significance around the 75% mark where one character describes what’s about to happen by comparing it to a Game of Thrones scene. By adding the GoT reference, I was momentarily taken out of the emotional element of that scene. But again, super minor and most wouldn’t even bat an eye at it. Just my own quirk.

Why you should buy this: Ultimately this felt very akin to Matt Wesolowski’s ‘Six Stories’ mixed with a hint of Nevill’s ‘The Ritual’ (first half anyways), and even ‘The Running Man.’ Howarth executed this novel perfectly and it was so utterly compulsive, I had to set my other reads aside to dive into this and not let my mind go anywhere else.

If you’re looking for a thriller that melds the survival elements with the psychological aspects spot-on, this one is definitely for you. Howarth has delivered a must-read novel and one that I’ll be shouting about for years to come.

5/5

Book Review: The Modern Prometheus by Jayson Robert Ducharme

Title: The Modern Prometheus

Author: Jayson Robert Ducharme

Release date: April 24, 2022

I’ve had this book on my Kindle for far too long. Featuring a stunning cover by Francois Vaillancourt, it was released only a few months after my own novel ‘Mastodon’ was released, which also has a Francois cover. Because of that, I was excited to see all of the other books that Francois’ artwork was adorning – and I still am to this day – which meant, I snagged this one when it was released… and it languished on my TBR ever since. Over and over, other readers whom I chat with books about a bunch kept telling me to give this one a go, and when I saw it coming up on the top of my TBR I was excited to dive into this.

Going in, I decided to not re-read the synopsis, instead wanting to be surprised and fresh.

What I liked: The story follows a man, who awakens in a strange place. He’s hooked up to machines, body feeling odd and off, and as he comes to, he begins to remember that his name was Peter. His life and memories slowly return, but one of the hands is not his own, instead a woman’s hand. He’s scarred, stapled and stitched and when the person who brought him back to life arrives, he manages to escape.

It’s evident that this is influenced by Shelley’s genre-creating classic, but parts of this also reminded me of M. Shaw’s ‘One Hand to Hold, One Hand to Carve.’ This ‘who am I’ mentality with the ‘what of me still exists.’ It makes for some really intriguing and claustrophobic moral dilemma’s. Peter knows who he was, but he’s not that man anymore. He sees this at his gravesite. He sees it when he returns to his home and runs into his wife.

But all the while he continues to change, to transform and when the end arrives, he understands he’s no longer Peter and he questions what his life will be like going forward. It’s got shades of what Tim McGregor’s ‘Eynhallow’ presented within it’s pages as well.

Ducharme gives us a lot of questions, but also presents a variation of possible answers, which worked perfectly to give us both a very solid fictional story, but also one that walks that line of bringing the fictional world into every readers real lives.

What I didn’t like: I really wanted to love this book, but the reality was, it was good, not great. Compared to Shaw and McGregor’s books, this one got close to the elevated ideas and delivery, but didn’t completely deliver when all was said and done.

Why you should buy this: Purely for what I said at the end of a previous section of this review, this novel worked so well to make the reader uncomfortable while reading it, but also to really force the reader to ask themselves what would they do while in that position in their real lives.

The story gallops along, the emotions are high and the introduction of accessory characters really gives this an extra depth.

Overall, it was a really solid and engaging read, and fits that bit nicely for a reader looking for a novel that’ll make them squirm but also want to hold their loved ones close. And this was does that fantastically.

4/5

Book Review: And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel

Title: And One Day We Will Die: Strange Stories Inspired by the Music of Neutral Milk Hotel

Edited by: Patrick Barb

Release date: January 14th, 2025

*Huge thanks to Patrick Barb for a digital ARC of this one!*

As long as I can remember, music has been an integral part of my life. I’m not ashamed to say that there’s been times music has literally saved my life and when I’ve been at my lowest of low moments, I’ve turned to music. When a song can take me somewhere, whether the lyrics relate specifically to that moment – and at times they’re not even in English – it forever sticks with me. When I was traveling to Lac La Biche, Alberta to say my goodbyes to my aunt, CCR ‘Have You Ever Seen the Rain’ played literally everywhere. I can still hear it playing in the Kelowna Airport, on the airplane when we landed in Calgary to transfer planes, in the van driving to my aunt and uncles house and again in the hospital when we were visiting my aunt. And wouldn’t you know it, the song was playing a million times on the trip home.

I had a similar experience a few years ago when I took our believed American Bulldog OJ to the vet for the final time. On the drive there, Rod Stewart’s ‘Forever Young’ was playing. It was on again at the vet’s. And when I left without him, I was trying to keep it together, so I changed the radio channel, not wanting to listen to anything else while driving. And sure enough, the scheduled show on the sports talk channel used ‘Forever Young’ as it’s intro music. SERIOUSLY!

Music is the lifeblood of our emotions, our memories and brings people together like nothing else.

Saying all of that, before I read this anthology, I’d heard of Neutral Milk Hotel, but had never really listened to them. After reading this, I popped onto Youtube and listened through a dozen songs, recognizing a bunch of them. I can’t say that I’m a huge fan, but I can absolutely see why they’ve created the cult following they have and why it was that Patrick Barb got together over a dozen authors for this anthology based on the band’s songs.

What I liked: The level of talent on display here is world class, but it was also refreshing to see a lot of newer names to me and up-and-coming names as well. It wasn’t the standard TOC that everybody always sees when a new anthology is announced and you can practically guess the first twelve authors announced every single time.

There were a lot of very solid stories, but there were a few that really stood out.

The opening story, ‘Untitled’ by Lilah Lawson was easily the perfect choice to open the anthology. It’s not only the most eerie story, but in this readers mind, the best story within. It follows a woman who decides that she’s going to become a ghost and goes about remembering her life, why she decides being a ghost is the best way forward. The ending to this story showcases what each story is going to deliver, but none of them do it as pristinely as Lawson did. Haunting and atmospheric, which is exactly what I want in a well crafted song.

‘The Clown King in Yellow’ by Joe Koch is another perfect example of why you should be reading Joe’s work. Joe’s work is always powerful and pushes the boundaries of where a story can go. It’s like the first time you see a comic book artist draw part of the image outside of the frame. The story follows a family that changes their memorial celebration into a Halloween party of sorts and as the night goes on, things grower tenser and tenser. It works so very well and if it wasn’t for Lawson’s phenomenal piece, this would’ve been my favorite.

‘The Garden Head’ by Brian Evenson. Good friggin’ lord. Is there nothing that Evenson can’t make creepy? This story had me tucking the blankets around my feet and making sure the closet doors remained closed. A person finds a path. They follow it. They find some gates and a transcendental event occurs. That’s about all I can say without really spoiling it, but holy wow was this unnerving.

Throughout, the stories weave and work there ways into the readers brain and I can really see fans of the band absolutely raving about this anthology for years to come.

What I didn’t like: If you know my reading tastes, you’ll know I struggle with epistolary storytelling, and there were a number of those stories within that I just couldn’t connect with.

As well, though I think you can really enjoy and experience this batch of stories without being familiar with the band, there are definitely Easter eggs and song lyrics within that fans of the band will embrace and enjoy that much more.

Why you should buy this: Fans of the band will definitely eat this up and hold these stories high within their reading lives. Those who’re not familiar with the music but are familiar with the authors will be very, very happy with what is delivered here. And those readers, who simply enjoy anthologies and anthologies around music will most likely find their new favorite short story within.

Solid, balanced and (as evidenced by the amazing foreword) respectful of the source material, Barb has done an amazing job with this anthology.

5/5

Book Review: The Bridge by John Skipp & Craig Spector

Title: The Bridge

Authors: John Skipp & Craig Spector

Release date: September 1st, 1991

In the Splatterpunk world of fiction, there are a number of authors and books who defined and launched the genre. Since it’s beginning, Splatterpunk has forged ahead on the tenement that any extreme violence or graphic events are specifically in the book to move the story forward. That is one of the major differences between Splatterpunk and Extreme horror, though that definition has seemingly become diluted and blended over the last few years.

I’ve had ‘The Bridge’ on my Kindle for a number of years, but it wasn’t until back in September of this year (2024), when I was discussing the books that seemed to have launched Splatterpunk with Nick Cutter, that he said I needed to bump this book up my TBR and read it. According to Nick, this is one of those books that launched a thousand books and influenced his own releases as Nick and Patrick Lestewka.

So, with that in mind, I dove in recently, excited to see where this one went.

What I liked: At its core, the novel is an environmental story about man’s destructive ways. It follows the events in a small town after years of toxic waste has been dumped in the creek and on this particular day, a storm rages and conditions are perfect for the waste to transform into a sentient killing beast.

Within that overarching narrative, we get smaller stories of many of the people who live in the town, their roles in the toxic waste mayhem, as well as those who’re innocent and deal with the repercussions of what those have done behind closed doors.

It’s a fascinating examination of what happens when some do whatever they want for power, money, greed and control, while also investigating the trickle effect of those stomped on. That metaphor works well to be applied across any time period, which makes the main story line almost timeless.

The gore is plenty and brutal, the setting is great and well developed and many of the characters are vividly created, making the reader either love them or loathe them almost immediately.

The ending is solid, if not a bit suggestive of a sequel (though I don’t believe one was every made), and worked well to showcase the power that was unleashed.

What I didn’t like: I found the novel to be too scattered and often anti-climatic. Early on, we get somebody introduced with paranormal powers. That then is left behind for a lengthy time, when at first it seemed like it was going to be a driving force of the novel.

Throughout, we get new people introduced – and thoroughly introduced – to only be killed off. Time and time again, pages and pages of backstory are described for characters that really play no role in the story, other than something happening at that location. It made it so that the main characters of the novel are missing from the story for chapters and chapters and chapters and the minor characters who are there at the beginning are easily forgotten about, and when they return, you feel like you’ve missed something.

And because of that introduction of so many characters, we often get a cliff hanger at the end of chapters that doesn’t go anywhere. I’m not sure if this a case of the time period it was released – which might be how some things were done back then – or because of the two different authors, but it became a reoccurring ending to each chapter.

Why you should buy this: The main component of the novel was fantastic, and I wished it had stayed with just that – the story of the barrels being dumped, the news folks discovering it and them trying to get to the bottom of it, but too many other elements continued to get introduced, which ultimately slowed this one down for me.

Saying that, if you’re looking to read some of the books that formed the Splatterpunk and Extreme Horror Genres that so many read and love these days, then definitely give this a read. The town is great, the gore is solid and you can definitely see the influence all these years later.

3/5

Book Review: Placerita by Lisa Morton & John Palisano

Title: Placerita

Authors: Lisa Morton & John Palisano

Release date: June 14th, 2024

If you’ve been a fan of crazy creature stories, then you might’ve come across the story/idea that deep below the city of Los Angeles resides or used to reside a race of lizard people. While it sounds insane to some, to others it’s not rumor – it’s fact – and that fact was first presented back in 1934 in the LA Times of all places.

G. Warren Shufelt – a miner and engineer, said he’d developed a way to scan below ground and in doing so, had discovered a massive, sprawling city made up of tunnels and chambers below LA. Shufelt then claimed that after mapping this area, he’d met with a well-respected Hopi Indigenous man, who told him about the Lizard People who lived below the surface and that there was a city built of gold.

It’s with that back drop that Morton and Palisano deliver ‘Placerita’ a history-horror novella that deftly blends fact and fiction. That should come as no surprise, when considering the two authors involved. Morton is an internationally lauded writer of both non-fiction and fiction, and Palisano himself is no slouch, having won a Bram Stoker Award and been nominated several other times as well. Both know the area this is set in intimately, and it was with all that in hand that I jumped into this story.

What I liked: The novella follows a young woman in 1928. Alexis has been hired on as a Professor of Biology at a University, and is excited about making strides in her field. Then things take a turn. A dam bursts, her home is destroyed, and within all of that madness, she finds a scaled hand. One that shouldn’t exist.

It’s that discovery that sends her down the rabbit hole of learning about the oddities of the potential Lizard People below Los Angeles. She has run-ins with some nefarious characters and even Schufelt himself.

Morton and Palisano do a wonderful job of collaboration. It felt like a singular voice wrote this and the pacing is spot-on perfect, with each section building intrigue but also setting up for a big reveal.

Throughout, we get hints and clues regarding whether that population of lizard folks actually exist, and the ending was a rational, well executed ending that also showcased how Alexis processed her new-found information.

What I didn’t like: While I really enjoyed the story and the way it was told, a lot of the ‘big moments’ felt like Lite moments. We were always on the precipice of a big reveal, only for it to arrive and not happen, the direction of the story changing. It left a lot of ‘what if’s’ and ‘what was that’ spots. Additionally, while the ending was exactly how it should’ve played out for Alexis’ character, for the story itself, it just didn’t resolve anything for those reading this for a creature experience. It just sort of… ends.

Why you should buy this: This is a novella that really does two things perfectly. The first, is that it is very, very engaging and will have you racing through the story to see what happens. The second, is that is will also have you racing to your bookshelf (if you’re like me and have a bunch of books about mythical creatures and forgotten civilizations on your shelves) or Google (if you don’t have those other books!) to read all about the history of the Lizard People.

This novella was really well done and I think it’s one that historical-horror fans will really enjoy!

4/5

Book Review: Cold Storage by David Koepp

Title: Cold Storage

Author: David Koepp

Release Date: September 3rd, 2019

It’s crazy how the passage of time has taken place over the last five years or so.

Since the onset of Covid-19, I’ve personally found the last five years has flown by while also taking forever. Some things feel like they happened a lifetime ago, while others just the other day.

Such was the case with this book. When it was first released, I was super intrigued, but I’m also terrified of organism based horror. Books like Jason Parent’s ‘The Andromeda Strain,’ Michael Crichton’s work and Nicholas Kaufmann’s Dr. Laura Powell series that have seemingly sentient organism’s that can mutate and find ways of devouring and overtaking and controlling organic matter. When I went to the theatre – way back in the 1900’s as my son says – and watched ‘Outbreak,’ I was terrified. We truly live in a globally connected world and as such, everything can be spread faster than the blink of an eye. Even the timing of me writing this review – on a break at work – demonstrates that. The first patient I saw this morning landed last night in Edmonton, returning from a work trip to Hong Kong. Over the last few days, they travelled over 10,000 kms (6200 miles) and then came to their appointment.

So, even though I purchased this book for my Kindle on Christmas Day, 2020, I was stressed about reading it. I knew it’d be great. I knew Koepp would deliver – seriously, the guys screenplays have generated over SIX BILLION DOLLARS in theatres – but I didn’t know if I could handle it.

Finally, after That Horror Bish told me I HAD to read it, I took the plunge, and wow. What a plunge it was.

What I liked: The story opens roughly twenty-five years ago, when Roberto and Trini are called into to investigate a strange event in a rural Australia village. Aided by a biochemist, they discover that a rocket that crashed upon returning to earth was harvesting some sort of bacteria that didn’t burn up upon re-entry. The organism is beyond anything they’ve ever encountered and to protect earth, the sample taken is stored deep under ground in the US in a cold storage facility.

Fast forward to present day and the government has sealed the storage facility and rented the ground level section to a normal storage company. Folks rent the units, store their crap and life goes on. Until one day, when a malfunction occurs and two workers decide to investigate what the beeping sound behind the wall is.

From there, Koepp delivers a fast-paced, engaging sci-fi-horror novel that is neither ridiculously over the top nor bogged down in so many details that you’d need a PHD to even understand what’s going on.

Our two main characters, Teacake – real name, Travis – and Naomi, work well together, even if they’re tentatively awkward at first and Koepp works their relationship weirdness of being coworkers then potentially an item perfectly.

As the stakes get higher and the reality of the organism getting out, Roberto returns with a plan in hand.

I’ll admit, this part of the story is very cinematically over the top. A bit Michael Bay cheese if you will, but it worked well for the story and it kept the tension high and the pages flipping all the way to the end.

What I didn’t like: For me, the one thing that I felt was a bit light throughout, was the actual organism. When it’s a factor it was a factor, rapidly mutating and exploding and overtaking and just creating brutal carnage. But it wasn’t as prevalent as I expected, and there was only so much of Teacake’s nervousness and Naomi’s calmness that could be used to continue the story forward.

Why you should buy this: This was a really fun, edge-of-your-seat thriller that had me completely invested. It was set in a great setting, the characters were charmingly annoying and I’m a huge sucker for this exact type of organism-based sci-fi/horror. Definitely one to read if you’ve had it sitting on your TBR forever, like I did.

4/5

Book Review: The Wind Began to Howl by Laird Barron

Title: The Wind Began to Howl

Author: Laird Barron

Release date: May 16th, 2023

I’ve had this book on my TBR for far too long and with how wonderfully kind and supportive Laird’s always been, it’s a bit shameful I didn’t get to it sooner.

In my defense, my Kindle has like 5000 books on it and my TBR continues to grow taller and taller (well, digitally, but you know what I mean!) with no end in sight.

Not too long ago, I read (and loved) Barron’s ‘The Croning,’ but I’m more of a tried-and-true horror reader, and that fell within that category nicely. I’m not a huge fan of crime fiction, of noir type stuff and having never read any of Barron’s Isaiah Coleridge books, I wasn’t 100% sure how this one would hit, considering it’s listed as Coleridge 3.5.

But still, the synopsis sounded intriguing, and the cover art was phenomenal. Murano at Bad Hand Books keeps putting out fantastic work, and when you put Murano and Barron together, then surely it’s going to be a home run, yeah?

What I liked: The story follows our M/C, Isaiah Coleridge, former mob enforcer, who has now become a P.I., who gets hired to do what should be a simple job. A movie producer needs him to track down two ambient/black metal musicians and get them to sign the contract necessary so a snippet of their song can appear in a movie. The song is absolutely necessary for the movie and with that in mind, Coleridge sets off.

As I mentioned, normally, this wouldn’t be my bread-and-butter, but the writing really reminded me of Adam Nevill’s stunning ‘Lost Girl’ and Barron had me captivated in no time. It also helped that this focused on how these two brothers who made up the band, reminded me a lot of the crazy dudes who populated the PNW when I lived up in that area. Wolves in the Throne Room type folks, who live off the grid, make music that they believe will open portals, connect with Gods and help them see far into the future. The type of music that will literally let them walk through walls. (I should note, I met Wolves in the Throne Room once, and they were all really friendly, I’m just using them as an example of bands from that area who live in seclusion.)

As the story progresses, we find Coleridge partnering up with someone connected with the brothers and a few leads come through. Barron keeps the truth concealed really well and even a few times, when you are certain things are unravelling he laughs at the reader and takes it elsewhere.

The big reveal ending was fantastic and definitely left some questions unanswered, all for the betterment of the reader.

What I didn’t like: Now, obviously, this won’t be an issue with long time Barron/Coleridge readers, but for a new reader diving in here, I think it would absolutely help if I’d read the other books first, just so I was more familiar with the secondary characters that play a role in Coleridge’s life. Saying that, I was never lost nor confused and there didn’t appear to be any significant ‘inside’ info that I was missing out on.

Why you should buy this: I assume all Coleridge/Barron fans already have this on their shelves, but for those who don’t or for those looking for a great cosmic-horror/crime-fiction mash up, this one fits that bill perfectly. The inclusion of the band, their back story and the truth of what was going on will make every reader happy,. Count me as one who was very delighted with the reveal. And while I’m still on the fence over whether I want to make the plunge into the Coleridge series, this definitely pushes me closer to wanting to, than not.

5/5

Book Review: Where the Bones Lie by Nick Kolakowski

Title: Where the Bones Lie

Author: Nick Kolakowski

Release date: March 11th, 2025

*Huge thanks to Nick for sending me a digital ARC of this!*

If you’ve followed my reviews for the last almost-decade, you’ll know I’m not really a true crime fiction reader. My reading desires typically include the necessity of supernatural/paranormal/horror elements and the straight up crime stuff sometimes causes me to drift away and not stay focused.

Saying that, there’s been some books that’ve been excellent in the crime world that’ve excited me, the most recent being the Bishop Rider series of books that Beau Johnson has been releasing.

When Nick reached out to see if I’d take a stab at this one, I agreed for one big reason. Nick can write his ass off. In every thing I’ve read of his, he’s night and day one of the best writer’s you’ll ever read. The quality of storytelling, the quality of character development and the careful crafting of the narrative is simply unparalleled.

What I liked: The novel follows Dash, former Hollywood clean-up man, now failing stand-up comic. He’s trying to put his former life in the rearview mirror and get on the straight and clean bus, but that’s simply impossible. The opening scene shows him faltering at a stand up set, when his old boss, Manny, arrives and offers him a job. It opens up old trauma, a job gone wrong, that pushed Dash away from the life, but cash is cash and once it’s done, he convinces himself that he’s done for good.

Here’s where things take a turn. He gets a phone call, from the daughter of Ken Ironwood. His body was found after having been missing for decades and she wants Dash’s help to figure out who took him out.

Kolakowski weaves a very strong cat-and-mouse game from that point on. Chalk full of humor, action and clues, the pace was frantic and it wasn’t long before I was fully immersed. Even when things were moving along and I thought for sure that I knew what was going on, a new wrinkle would arrive and I’d have to rethink everything I thought I knew.

The ending is a massive wrap up of a bajillion loose ends that worked to really put a nail in a number of coffin’s. It was a cinematic ending to a novel that had bulldozed its way to that crazy conclusion.

What I didn’t like: There were hints of paranormal stuff at the beginning, which faded away not long after, and I was a bit saddened, because it really made you question whether Dash was crazy or not. It worked out well, when all was revealed, but for this reader, I was saddened it wasn’t a bigger angle later on.

Why you should buy this: If you’re like me and not a typical crime reader, but are looking to dip your toes into something and see how you dig it, this would be the perfect book to take for a spin. A remote setting, two unlikely people working together, and a ton of crazy twists and turns, Kolakowski’s delivered a superb novel that’ll have people zipping through it.

5/5