Steve Stred's Blog, page 6

Book Review: Trog by Zachary Ashford

Title: Trog

Author: Zachary Ashford

Release date: March 11th, 2025

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

While completely unrelated to Eddie Generous’ ‘Terror at Back Woods Lodge,’ Ashford’s newest can be seen an a thematic companion to that novella, both through cover art styling, but also content. This could be an indication of things to come for ‘Unnerving,’ or, rather, if you know both of those authors, it could simply be that they both continue to release super fun, solid, and dark creature-feature releases, though on opposite sides of the world.

I was really intrigued to see what Ashford was going to deliver with this one. After his novellas ‘The Encampment by the Gorge & Blood Memory,’ ‘Sole Survivor’ (one and two!), ‘When the Cicadas Stop Singing,’ and ‘The Morass,’ he took a slight detour with ‘Polyphemus’ when it comes to releasing straight forward creature-features. Not taking anything away from the stunning Faustian novel that is ‘Polyphemus,’ but ‘Trog’ solidifies that when Ashford is describing crazy beasts causing carnage (say that fast three times!) he’s in his wheelhouse and ‘Trog’ certainly cements his place as the reigning Outback Creature-Feature leader (again, three times, say it, like super fast!).

What I liked: The story follows a mom, dad and teen daughter, Aisha, who’ve moved to the countryside to get away from the ‘dangers of the city,’ Classic set up. In this case, there was an incident where a man broke into their house and terrified the daughter. He then stalks her, traumatizing the family. Dad, decides to take them away from that and start anew.

But this is a horror story and as such, doesn’t realize what the history of the house is. A famed/mythical person, Shackleton, used to own the property many, many years ago. Deep in the bowels of a forgotten cave, he’s captured and trapped a Yowie, he’s named Trog. The plan had been to exhibit the beast and make millions.

The crux of the story takes place over one night, when Aisha’s parents go out for dinner, leaving her alone. Three masked robbers arrive, wanting to steal, torture and kill whoever is at home.

Ashford sets this up nicely and, as you can predict, along the way, Trog gets free. The story is really fun up until that moment, but as soon as Trog breaks free from his cage, the shit hits the fan, the heads start flying (even just look at the cover art!) and it becomes a matter of who’ll be standing when we see the words THE END.

I’ve always been a big fan of Ashford’s action-based terror. He seems to be writing at his best when the antagonist is eight feet tall (or taller/longer) and the humans within the book become their target. We also get a lot of layered emotions within this. A dad and mom feeling guilt over what’s happened to their daughter. A dad and mom feeling guilt over going out for dinner when the three scum bags arrive. And later on, we see how those who survive have to deal with life without those who don’t.

The ending and epilogue were great and it does leave the door open for a follow up, should Ashford decide to return us to a story involving Yowie’s.

What I didn’t like: The only thing that really stood out for me was that when the trio moved to the home, the mom and dad scoffed and ignored Aisha when she was telling them she was hearing something from below the house. After having just gone through an incident involving a horrible person and their daughter, and the fact that they moved to try and get away from everything involved, the idea that they wouldn’t listen to her was a bit suspect on my end.

Why you should buy this: As I mentioned earlier, Ashford is easily the current King of Aussie Outback Creature Features. Yes, Baxter and Chapman and Murray and Davis and etc. etc. etc. write creature features, but they also move fluidly through cult fiction and cosmic horror and grief horror and etc. etc. etc. None of them have put out release after release at such high regard as Ashford and having them focused around creature features. So, if you’re looking for a fun, insane big Yowie book, this is perfect. If you’re a bigfoot fan, cryptid fan, or simply love home invasion books gone wrong, look no further.

Ashford is a writer who always brings his best to the table and I wouldn’t be surprised to see a surge in Yowie books after this one arrives.

5/5

Book Review: The Paleontologist by Luke Dumas

Title: The Paleontologist

Author: Luke Dumas

Release date: October 31st, 2023

If you follow any of my social media pages, you’ll know that I’m the father of a son who is dinosaur obsessed. While many parents deal with a dinosaur ‘phase,’ my wife and I know we have a dino-lifer on our hands.

Since our son started to crawl and then walk, he’s been attracted to all things dino (as well as monsters, Kaiju’s and things that go bump in the night) and seeing as how we live in Alberta, Canada’s dinosaur province, we have an ample supply of dinosaur related excursions and displays. Our museum in Edmonton has a massive fossil collection, as does the University of Alberta. Our airport has displays in it and we’re a three hour drive from Drumheller and the Royal Tyrell Museum, a place we’ve visited annually for the last four or five years now. We’ve even made the five hour drive north west to visit Grande Prairie and see the Philip J. Currie Dinosaur Museum there. Yes, he’s obsessed. But guess what? So am I.

I’ve always loved dinosaurs and have been a huge fan of The Land Before Time (my first movie I ever saw in theatres), as well as the Jurassic Park books and movies. It’s made for a wonderful thing to connect with my son about, and as he plots how to become a paleontologist and questions when he can start working at the Royal Tyrell, we sit back and just enjoy the fact that he is loving science this much and learning as much as he can. He’s one of those rare eight year old’s that’ll go on and on about different clades and evolutionary markers of species. It’s fascinating.

What all of that means, is that I’ve had Luke Dumas’ book, ‘The Paleontologist,’ on my Kindle since October 31st, 2023. I had it preordered and was super excited to get to reading it, but then my reading life got super hectic. But I knew a trip to Drumheller would be coming in 2024 – one always does – so, I decided to wait to read it in conjunction with our trip.

I’m a huge fan of the various dino-horror fiction. Be it the rip and shred variety Tim Meyers delivers, or the slow, tactical, chess game style that Michael Crichton perfected. And no, I haven’t read ‘Dragon Teeth’ yet, but it’s coming up on my TBR soon!

Luke’s debut novel, ‘A History of Fear,’ had readers raving (and it’s on my Kindle as well!), but between the two, the dinosaur element won out over both and with the Drumheller trip coming, and fellow paleo-dino fiction fans telling me I needed to read this, I dove into this, excited to see what secrets the Hawthorne Museum held.

What I liked: A multi-layered story, with an epistolary aspect, ‘The Paleontologist’ made this dino-reader very happy. The novel follows Simon, a young-in-the-field paleontologist, who gets hired to be the head curator at his hometown museum. This is also where his younger sister disappeared before his aunt took him and raised him, Simon’s mother a drug-addict deemed unfit to parent.

Simon’s recently broken up with his long-time boyfriend, Kai, and with that recent heartbreak looming large and the numerous unanswered questions about his sisters disappearance, Simon is hoping to focus on bringing the museum back to relevance, while also finding out what happened to her.

Within that narrative, we learn about the former paleontologist, Mueller, who current staff claim went mad, and as Simon finds a hidden storage area, has strange encounters and hears odd noises, the museum begins to reveal itself to Simon and to us readers.

The novel, in its entirety, feels dirty. As though its always raining, the sun can’t break free behind the clouds and that at any moment, something is going to dart from the shadows and clamp its jaws on whatever unsuspecting character is nearby.

The highlight of the story is Simon’s journey. It is paralleled with Mueller’s, in that we read about his decent into madness with a fossil discovery and Simon reading his journey, all the while we see Simon become obsessed, become focused specifically on finding his sister, the truth and confronting what is going on at the museum head on.

While the first three-quarters was a build, a setting up of dominos, the final quarter is a full sprint. Dumas masterfully handles the revelations, the reactions and the repercussions.

What I didn’t like: So, I really loved this novel, but the average reader may find this one a bit dino heavy. While in many fantasy books we get paragraphs of descriptions surrounding what the characters eat, we experience similar moments where dinosaurs are described in significant detail. For some readers, this may slow the progress and be off putting. As well, the build of the first seventy-five percent is solid, but some may find it slower than they typically like. It worked well for this reader, so decide for yourself.

Why you should buy this: Dumas had notched a novel firmly in an area sorely lacking since Crichton passed on. This science based, supernatural thriller had a wonderfully related able main character, an excellent location and a lot of moving pieces that ultimately worked to create an unwavering tension. This book works on a lot of different levels and as such, is one of those novels that’ll continue to find new and unique readers for many, many years to come.

5/5

Book Review: Sycamore by Ian Rogers

Title: Sycamore

Author: Ian Rogers

Release date: October 29th, 2024

*Huge thanks to Ian for the digital copy of this one!*

Firstly, before we dive into this, I owe Ian an apology. He’d posted a bit ago about looking for reviewers on Facebook and I DM’d him. He kindly sent me a digital copy and I slotted it into my TBR ready to get it done in time for him. Then, when he posted about the release date approaching, I realized that I’d completely messed up on when this was coming out. So, I’m super sorry, Ian. I do my best to try and read and review prior to release date, but that mix up was completely my fault.

Ok, so, the review!

If you’ve read any of Ian’s short fiction (and if not go grab ‘Every House is Haunted’ ASAP), you’ll have come across Felix Renn and The Black Lands. I’ve read a bunch of Rogers’ short fiction (and still have the two chapbooks to get through – ‘Black-Eyed Kids’ and ‘The Ash Angels,’ both referenced within ‘Sycamore’) and the world and the character are very, very engaging. Renn is a private detective, working with his ex wife, a former horror movie actress, based in Toronto. The Black Lands refers to the world on the other side of these portals that have started sprouting up around the world, home to every sort of monster possible.

I was very interested to see ‘the start,’ as Ian has already written an entire mythology and characters. The backwards approach to this character and getting these things out into the world was a very ballsy move by Ian, but one I knew an author of his caliber would have no issue tackling.

What I liked: After getting a frantic phone call from a woman in the town of Sycamore, Felix Renn heads there about a job. He’s excited to take this one on, as it doesn’t appear to be Black Lands related. He’s had his hands full with monsters and events and just wants a straight forward case.

But this is Felix Renn we’re talking about. The most sarcastic and lucky PI out there. Of course The Black Lands are involved.

Rogers does a wonderful job of setting the stage, giving us an intriguing ‘twist,’ one where Renn is hired to find the body of the woman’s husband. Everyone believes he’s been murdered, judging by the amount of blood found in his truck. Everyone except the police, who believe he’s actually the serial killer in town.

Renn partners with an unexpected character, one that works as a similarly acting person, but also one who grounds Renn. Felix can’t get a read on them and this makes for some witty banter, some great team-building and when the portal stuff hits the fan, someone Renn can and should depend on.

Throughout, Rogers utilizes the remote, small town aspect to perfection, giving us readers just enough to deflect things, before rerouting us to the truth. When the house of cards finally collapses, it does so with gusto and we get to learn a ton about the government agency investigating the portals and even more about Renn and his potential future partner.

What I didn’t like: I do think this is a book where you get more oomph if you’ve previously read some of Ian’s Black Lands short fiction. There is a lot of Easter eggs and throw away comments, and if you’ve not read that particular story, it may be a case of leaving you wondering what’s going on. If you have read the short stories, then you’ll be in for a much more fulfilling experience, though I wouldn’t say it’s necessary, based on the strength of the story and the writing.

Why you should buy this: Having shown how phenomenal he is at writing short fiction, Ian has now released two novels, both releasing around the same time, this year. It’s wonderful to see just how seamless he was able to make that leap (though behind the scenes he may say otherwise!). The book doesn’t feel padded or filled with unnecessary verbiage to push this longer. Instead, this feels like a celebration. Of an author fulfilling everything fans of Ian’s and The Black Lands have been looking forward for, after this novel was released. This is a tension-filled mystery, wrapped in a supernatural, detective narrative, that delivers some phenomenal set pieces and action sequences. This is everything and more for fans of what Ian’s created leading up to this and now we all have to collective hold our breath, waiting for when we’ll get another Renn full length offering.

Just phenomenal.

5/5

Book Review: Beasts by Ingvild Bjerkeland

Title: Beast

Author: Ingvild Bjerkeland

Release date: March 11th, 2025

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the digital ARC of this one!*

I’m a huge sucker for Norwegian, Finnish and Swedish horror. Whether TV, Movies or Books, the isolated locations and eeriness of story has always connected with me. I think a lot of it is because it reminds me a lot of where I grew up in Burton. We were remote, had wildlife galore, had sprawling mountains, darkest of nights, and there was always the sense that at any given moment you could be completely cut off from the outside world.

The cover of this one caught my attention immediately, especially when tied in with the title. The synopsis was also intriguing, so I was curious what could be done in such a short page count. As a fan of reading and writing novellas, I’m always a sucker for a less is more approach, so this one looked to be right up my alley.

What I liked: The story takes place not long after strange beasts have appeared around the world, ending things as we know it. A brother and sister are now on the run, having witnessed their mother’s death to one. They’re doing their best to survive, but the truth is, food is scarce and the beasts are numerous. Their dad was on a work trip on a remote island and they’ve heard that getting to the edge of the sea will get them on a boat and take them to where their father is.

One of my all-time favorite books is Cormac’s ‘The Road,’ and this is essentially that exact same book, only with monsters. In this case, it works for and against it. In ‘The Road’ the man and boy travel to the ocean’s edge in search of safety. They meet strangers along the way, some good, some bad and it’s a matter of trying to survive. Identical to this one.

Along the way, we see the kids finding places of shelter, random scraps and eventually a place with some safety. Some. As with all post-apocalyptic type books, places are never safe for long and life can change in an instant.

The ending is open enough and closed enough to satiate the reader’s journey, and considering this is classified as YA, though I’d suggest it’s probably closer to middle-grade, that’s a common aspect of how many of these books will end.

What I didn’t like: Well, it’s like ‘The Road’ but light. The Road Lite, I guess? It doesn’t break any ground and at times also reminded me of the 2010 movie, ‘Monsters,’ where the two characters need to make their way across Mexico to try and get back to the US border. It’s an engaging book, but one many people have read a million times. I think if I was my son’s age – eight – this book would rightly blow me away. At my old age – forty-three – I’ve experienced this all too often.

Why you should buy this: If you do have a young reader, this is an excellent book if you want to introduce them to the post-apocalyptic genre, or if they like books with kids having to survive against monsters. The writing is crisp, the pacing spot-on and I never got the sense that there was anything lost in translation.

Overall, a good book for adults who’ve read this stuff before, but a great book for new readers who’re not used to this type of narrative.

A solid, solid novella.

3/5

Book Review: The Demon of Devil’s Cavern by Brennan LaFaro

Title: The Demon of Devil’s Cavern (A Rory Daggett Story)

Author: Brennan LaFaro

Release date: August 24th, 2024

*Huge thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the digital copy of this one!*

A sequel.

Are you fans of sequels?

Or do you prefer a one and done and leave them be approach?

I’m 50/50 honestly. Some times I read a book and I’m like ‘Well, that was perfect and we need nothing else there!’ Other times it’s a ‘Holy WOW! What an ending! But there’s so much more that needs to be answered!’

And I get it. Hell, I hear it every day from people asking about a few of my books if there will be a sequel (specifically a novel of mine that rhymes with Mastodon).

LaFaro is no stranger to sequels. His Slattery Falls series is phenomenal and he managed to deliver a phenomenal opener and two even stronger follow ups, which is tough. Often times we get a dip.

So, with this one, I was curious, as book one, ‘Noose,’ was very well done.

LaFaro is a gifted storyteller, as though Ronald Kelly sprinkled him with the good writing dust that Kelly possesses and added in a dash of Brian Keene. I can’t speak about LaFaro’s writing process, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he outlines two or three books in a series prior to even writing book one, just to have the characters have short, medium and long arcs and the storylines can weave throughout.

That’s how it feels.

I was excited to dive into this one and see what Rory and Alice were up to, but also worried over what darkness might befall them.

What I liked: Let’s make this easy. Book two is better than book one.

Hands down. And book one is amazing and a belter and (insert adjectives of praise here, readers!).

The book follows the events of the first – and beware as there might be inadvertent spoilers here – and the sequel opens with a literal BANG.

A knock on the door. Rory and Alice are living on the outskirts of town, recovering physically and mentally from the incident with Noose and the witch. The door is answered. A new sheriff has arrived, and she means business, though cordially. But then she’s killed and the action kicks off.

The opening would’ve made for a phenomenal short story if it’d ended there, but it doesn’t. Because a gun fight happens, we know the Sheriff’s dead, and then the next day, the Sheriff returns with a posse, wanting to arrest Rory and Alice over her attempted murder. What?! Right?!

From that moment it’s a cat and mouse game of what’s going on and who is the Sheriff actually.

Rory and Alice head to the hills, get aid from an unexpected source, and as news comes to light and details are revealed, we find out some history and some truths.

LaFaro does a wonderful job of slowly delivering the emotional beats within the story, giving us a few shocking moments at very key points. Nothing demonstrates this more than Rory and Alice’s connection, their sign language communication and how – even after a very brutal truth is revealed – they know they are all each other has.

The ending of this particular book is very profound. I wasn’t expecting the unique look at death, the afterlife and the potential trickle effects of resurrection. It fit the thematic element of the Rory/Alice storyline very, very well, but also tied in the loss at the start of book one with the hope that appears out of nowhere at the end of book two.

What I didn’t like: Honestly, a very tiny, tiny gripe of mine has become the usage of real-life authors/friends of the author within books and that kept cropping up with some of the names. I get it, it’s kind of like how a lot of folks name drop friends books within their own book – having a character read X book by X author – but for me it throws me out of the fictional world for the briefest of moments. And I say that knowing full well that I was a character within Alan Baxter’s ‘The Roo.’ And I also understand the WHY of doing it. It’s just my own personal reading issue.

Why you should buy this: Horror western books are always a blast, but even better – adding a paranormal/supernatural element and LaFaro has hit a home run with combining the two – and even more amazing is that book two is that much more fun that book one (and book one was fantastic!)

If you’re a fan of LaFaro’s this is a no brainer to grab, and if you loved book one, also a no brainer. But if you’re looking for a novel written with the 80’s character sensibilities, the 90’s emotional impact trope and the 2020’s pacing style, look no further. LaFaro has once again managed to create characters you instantly fall for and root for and scenarios that have you white-knuckling the pages!

5/5

Book Review: The Court of Pe’kar by Joseph Sale

Title: The Court of Pe’kar (Lost Carcosa #4)

Author: Joseph Sale

Release date: August 29th, 2024

You know what really grinds my gears?
Books like this one.

That’s right. Books like this one.

What do you mean, Steve? You’re probably asking yourself that very question.

And my answer – I’m really, really, reaaaaaaallly fucking sick and tired of seeing stunning books like this – and part of a phenomenal series mind you – not getting any love ANYWHERE!

Like, what the hell does it have to take in this day and age of people professing to love Indie horror and promote small press and overlooked authors, yet here we have Joseph Sale – who is easily one of the greatest storytellers of our time (and one whom I’ve surmised previously may be a victim of writing during the wrong century) not having a series like this never mind a singular book like this being lauded on every single fucking platform. Seriously? I’m pissed. And if you know me, you know it takes a lot to make me angry.

I mean no shame towards Joseph here – but the stats back me up here. Goodreads – 1 rating with 1 review for this book. Amazon US – no ratings, no reviews. WHAT THE ACTUAL FLYING FUCK?! Sale is the closest thing we’re currently getting to an heir apparent to the beautiful horror that Clive Barker conjures. And with Clive’s health continue to decline the reality of new work from him fades with each passing day. But not with Sale, who is not only a magically gifted storyteller, but one of the most prolific writers of our time.

Ok, I’ll calm down. As the cooler kids say ‘Imma chill.’ Or something.

Now that we’ve all taken a dddeeeeepppp breath, let me tell you about this book.

BUT FIRST – AS IS EVIDENT – THIS IS BOOK FOUR. You must’ve read books one, two and three to understand what is going on in book four, so skip all the middle stuff until the bottom section of ‘Why you should buy this,’ as the middle part of this review will be spoiler-heavy for the other books.

What I liked: The reality of a book four in a five book series is that is holds a singular purpose – set up the grand finale. That’s not to say book four can’t deliver emotional depth, deception, horrors and have its own solid storyline – and this one has all of that and more – but often book four can be seen as the ‘weakest’ link in a series so readers will go in with tempered expectations.

In this case, the group – led by Alan and Cass – have arrived at Six-Ringed Citadel – after having survived Demhe. They believe that both Cass’ sister – Cali – and Cass’ mother – Camilla – are here. But they also want to have a meeting with the all-powerful demon, Pe’kar, and see if a potential truce can be arranged, a way to stop the ongoing seige of Carcosa.

Sale sets things up nicely. We get ever-growing tension within the group, the demon-knight Roland makes them uneasy, though he’s proven himself worthy. Alan doesn’t know if he can still trust the actor among them and even the dwarf, Petruccio, has become unhinged, knowing what he searched for, for all those years, is unattainable. Throughout, we see Alan and Cass’ love grow and that the two of them are ultimately in this together.

It makes for interesting dynamics from the start. First they need to trust wholeheartedly one they don’t know if they can – and go through the mummy task in order to be welcomed into the world of the dead.

Of the four books thus far, this book very well might be the most action-packed, and that’s saying something. It becomes very, very apparent when Cali’s plan is revealed and betrayal gives her power that even Alan and Cass never expected her to possess. It works perfectly within this singular book, but it also sets up the events in the final book, especially as key players are seemingly lost to the void and a specific instrument of hope falls into the wrong hands.

Sale crushes all expectations of what a book four should be, but also masterfully ends this one with a perfect set up for book five.

What I didn’t like: While I absolutely loved this one, I did find that the pacing at the start seemed far faster than the previous books. Where Sale took some time to set the stage and get us to the mid-point of the story, I felt like we arrived at the mid-point very quickly and then the final third was stretched over far more pages than normal. A minor quibble in the grand scheme of things.

Why you should buy this: I mean, obviously if you’ve read the first three books and loved them, then book four is a no brainer to grab. Book five is coming soon and I for one can’t wait to see what Sale does to wrap this series up! As for this book itself, Sale has done a wonderful job in progressing each character, strengthening/weakening bonds between the group as necessary and all the while marching along to a grand finale between Cass and Cali.

And, if you’ve never read Joseph Sale, go grab book one. Go grab ‘Dark Hilarity.’ Or ‘The Tunnel’ – I mean who doesn’t love a book about a massive crocodile? Or go grab ‘The Book of Thrice Dead’ series. Or go grab any of his stuff. Sale’s wonderful and an author that should be an ‘auto-buy’/’must-buy’ of every reader.

5/5

Book Review: The Troop by Nick Cutter

Title: The Troop

Author: Nick Cutter

Release date: February 25th, 2014

A decade ago, I was about to undergo some huge life changes.

I was leaving my job of five years, busting my ass to switch sports, and was looking to move from somewhere I’d lived for a decade. Mentally, I was at a breaking point, focused on bigger, stronger, faster and not on calming, relaxing and nurturing my mind. At that stage, I’d already attempted to write my first novel, but I kept stumbling with life moments getting in the way and I felt like nobody would want to read a Canadian horror novel. I was trying to read again, though even that was giving me fits as nothing seemed to speak to me enough to want to finish any books.

Then, on a fateful trip to Walmart while living in Abbotsford BC, I came across two novels in the 2 for $15 paperback sections. One was Andrew Pyper’s modern-classic ‘The Demonologist.’ The other was ‘The Troop’ by Nick Cutter. I devoured them both and though those two books were VERY different in the horror spectrum, both connected with me in different ways. Now, if you’ve followed my writing journey or my social media posting, you’ll know Pyper’s novel really connected with me in a different way than Cutter’s did, but that’s not to say Cutter’s book was any less influential on me. No, in fact, while Pyper’s book showed me that a Canadian could write dark, literary, horror fiction, and do it well, Cutter’s showed me that it was ok to go full brutal. To be evocative, and visceral and grotesque for the stories sake. And while ‘The Demonologist’ inspired me and in fact, I was inspired by that novel, and Pyper’s ‘The Homecoming’ as well when writing my own novel ‘Mastodon,’ Cutter’s ‘The Troop’ and his book as Patrick Lestewka titled ‘The Coliseum,’ also greatly inspired ‘Mastodon,’ what with the complex in the middle of nowhere and secret government experiments and so on.

Since reading those two books almost a decade ago, I’ve met both Andrew and Nick (real name Craig Davidson if you didn’t know!) and spend time with them. They’re both amazing people and both continue to release amazing books.

I’d been planning on re-reading ‘The Troop’ for some time, but back in September, I moderated a panel with Andrew and Nick as the two guests, at DreadCon, and after having dinner with Nick and his son after the convention, it felt like the universe was suggesting it was time to re-read this one, especially before Nick’s newest – ‘The Queen’ – arrived.

For those who’ve never read ‘The Troop,’ this book is uncompromising, and much like the modified worms that infest our troop members, the novel wiggles into your brain and buries itself deep within.

What I liked: The story follows Scoutmaster Tim, who is also the local doctor of the small town, and his troop of early teen boys who head to the small island just off the coast for a weekend of badge-earning and bonding.

Readers will inevitably find similarities between ‘The Troop’ and ‘Lord of the Flies,’ and Nick discusses the influence of Golding’s 1954 debut novel. But that’s what makes this novel tick. It’s the examination, an updated one at that, of what happens when a group is isolated and help doesn’t seem to be coming.

Shortly into the book, a stranger arrives on the island, a ravenous hunger fueling their every move. Tim takes control, his occupation leading the way, but soon he understands that it’s not simply a soaking wet person, lost and hungry. Something is forcing this man to eat and boy, does he want to eat.

It’s at this point, where we get to the moment of discovery within the small cabin on Falstaff Island, that the shit hits the fan. The stranger is infested by white worms of various sizes and the worms infect every living thing that comes into contact with them.

Cutter doesn’t hold back after that, transforming the novel from an isolation-survival story into a pseudo-zombie-survival story, one where the only adult the kids rely on is removed from the equation and the psychological horror of wondering how they’ll survive and whether or not they are infected settles in.

Many books currently have a singular ‘that scene.’ You know what I mean, the moment that stays with you and kind of highlights the book mentally and connects you with other readers who will mention ‘that scene.’ ‘The Troop’ is unique in that it has probably a half-dozen ‘that scene’ moments, though none appear to be as visceral to readers as a scene involving an unassuming sea turtle. In fact, while spending time with Nick at DreadCon, almost every single person who mentioned they’d read ‘The Troop,’ mentioned the turtle scene, which shows just how much that moment has resonated. Though it’s been a while since I’d first read this, there were a few scenes that’s stayed with me and when each one returned, I was smiling like Shelley within this book, a maniac stoked to have those moments of horrible carnage arrive.

The ending of this is also unique, in that it doesn’t just sail off into the distance. Throughout, Cutter used mixed-media to tell the story – the main narrative being the events on the island – but also using transcriptions of tribunals, transcriptions of court proceedings, newspaper articles, a magazine article and even an advertisement for a product. With those variables to show the widespread chaos this event caused, it was a solid decision to finish the novel with the ‘after,’ with what happened on the mainland and those living with the events.

What I didn’t like: I’ll be upfront and say that I thought this novel was perfect. Cutter executed this one magnificently and it felt very, very real and plausible. Saying that, there is a lot of animal death/abuse within. From descriptions of lab controlled experiments to the sea turtle moment I mentioned earlier, this novel isn’t for the squeamish nor is it for those with animal deaths as trigger warnings.

Why you should buy this: If you’ve not read this yet, this is your signal to get on it. Cutter has not only written a modern horror classic, but also a modern Canadian horror and literature classic. This novel will make you feel hungry, feel sad, question why the adults are not coming to save the kids and ultimately question the fact that this is something that could happen. Bio-engineering for military purposes has and is ongoing and what Cutter conjures here is frightening on so many levels, one of which is that it could become a reality. I just hope it never does.

5/5

https://www.amazon.com/Troop-Nick-Cutter-ebook/dp/B00BSBR5DA/

Book Review: Kill Your Darling by Clay McLeod Chapman

Title: Kill Your Darling

Author: Clay McLeod Chapman

Release date: September 24th, 2024

When this book was released, I saw the cover art was instantly intrigued. When I saw Francois Vaillancourt describe how he made the cover art in a Facebook post, I was even more intrigued, as he mentioned a little about the synopsis of this novella. First – I’m a huge fan of Francois’ work, and will forever hold the cover he did for my book ‘Mastodon’ in a special place. Second – I’ve found things have hit differently in my reading brain now that I have a son. Books like ‘The Road,’ and Andrew Pyper’s opus, ‘The Killing Circle,’ just sing differently when reading them.

So, I went into this one tentatively. Going in, I knew that a teenaged son’s body had been found in a lot, duct-tape wrapping his face with eyes drawn on with black marker. Exactly what Francois depicts on the cover. But going in, I wondered just how far I could go? Would the subject matter be too heavy?

Only one way to find out.

What I liked: The entirety of the novella focuses on Glenn, father to Billy, who was murdered fifty-ish years ago. No suspect was ever found, leads minimal. The boy was found in an abandoned lot, after going to a school dance. Since that day, Glenn has lived with the mental destruction. Who did it? Why? Why his son? And he’s lived with the discomfort of acceptance versus closure. How can he ever move on if there’s no answer? No one arrested or confessing?

As him and his wife have aged, they’ve developed their own ways of keeping their son’s memory alive. His wife leaves an extra plate out for dinner. They’ve left his room as it was. Glenn has kept a scrap book of photos and then newspaper articles.

Chapman doesn’t hold back within. It’s a tough read. Emotions are high and this feels real, feels painful to read. I can’t think of a single chapter in here – and the chapters are all short and snappy – that didn’t have me on the brink of tears, or left me crying. And I don’t think that would be any different if I wasn’t a father. It’s the reality of this book. It’s heartbreaking. I couldn’t imagine losing a child forever and also not having any answers over the ‘why’ of it happening.

Within, Glenn – on the insistence of his wife – joins a writing class at the local library. And it’s through these classes that he begins to write his story, creating a fictional ending to his non-fiction life, a way to grieve and close the horrible chapter of Billy’s death and create something tangible that will let him have closure on those dark days and on his life itself. It’s this writing class that ultimately unravels the truth and Chapman uses that revelation to crush the readers that much more.

What I didn’t like: I think the reality is, that this just might be too much for some readers. Those who’ve lost kids, lost a loved one, or simply just can’t read anything involving a child’s death. And I completely understand that. I pushed through the horrible rock that sat heavy in my stomach, even when at times that rock weighed more than anything on the surface of the earth.

Why you should buy this: Chapman delivers a stunning and ultimately moving look at grief, acceptance, life after losing someone and how a loved one’s death can have dramatic consequences on everyone involved. This could easily be read in a single sitting, though I can’t see someone emotionally wanting to tackle that. For those looking for a heavy, but powerful read, look no further. Chapman has given us a dark, dark, bleak gem here.

5/5

Book Review: Summer of the Monsters by David Sodergren

Title: Summer of the Monsters

Author: David Sodergren

Release date: December 5th, 2024

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

Ahhhh…

The old days. Like six years ago.

When David released his first novel, ‘The Forgotten Island,’ and people were like, ‘hey, not bad.’ Fast forward to the present day and over a dozen releases between his own work and his pseudonym releases as Carl John Lee and David’s become a full-time writer, having left his job recently to focus on his books. I have to say, I’m super proud of what he’s accomplished and his writing and journey inspires me everyday. I’m proud to call him a friend and I’m so thankful he helps me with my books.

Saying that, his newest, ‘Summer of the Monsters’ really pisses me off.

It does.

Why?

Because how in the fuck does he keep getting better and better and better and better and giving us these amazing characters and settings and stories. It’s infuriating, but – I am Canadian after all – it’s also so wonderful to see.

With this book, Sodergren takes the heart of ‘The Haar’ and adds in the claustrophobic atmosphere of ‘The Forgotten Island’ while also giving us a bit of that anxiousness that ‘Rotten Tommy’ created. And he does so splendidly.

What I liked: The story initially begins in modern day, with our M/C, Lucy, going to see her dad. She’s avoided him for years, every since the events of that summer on the late 90’s, and with that, David jumps us back in time thirty years, where Lucy and her father, a failed author, have to move to a run down house in the country side. What they don’t know, is that monsters exist, and they live in the forest beside them.

Sodergren sets the stage well, having Lucy arrive at her new school, frustrated over the move, and still upset over her mother having passed away a few years prior. Her dad hasn’t been able to write since the death and as such, funds have dried up and the move was forced. Lucy is a fish out of water, immediately singled out and bullied. Which forces her into the woods unexpectedly, where she has an encounter and we get the age old subplot of ‘is this thing a monster or not.’

David works that angle perfectly, showing disconnect between what Lucy meets and befriends and the rumors that the locals push about what lives in the trees.

The heart and soul of this story is Lucy’s relationship with this creature that she befriends and names. It works as a sounding board, therapist, grounding aspect for our character. She’s navigating tough waters – a teenaged girl now without her mom and her dad disillusioned and vacant. Even when she meets someone she thinks she can trust, she’s tentative about opening up and throughout, Sodergren infuses the story with little footnotes of details that remind those of us who lived during those halcyon days of the late 90’s what life was like. Mixed tapes and NIN and baggy jeans and alternative music festivals.

The ending absolutely gutted me. Just a powerful, poignant final chapter with an equally emotional final paragraph and closing line. When I was done, I messaged Sodergren and told him to prepare for the onslaught of fan drawings about this one, and I hold steady with that prediction.

What I didn’t like: As this acted as an early look/beta read as well as a read for review, a couple of my minor things might’ve been adjusted already.

The first was that I struggled to really have a sense of the time frame of this taking place. It felt like it happened over a few weeks, but it was only a few days.

The second was that I wasn’t fully onboard with the way Lucy reacted in some moments. Saying that, this is fiction and I am VERY far from remembering what being sixteen was like and I never experienced it as a sixteen-year-old girl, nor one who has lost a parent. So, while at times Lucy annoyed the snot out of me, her character felt very real, very true and one that I wanted to root for.

Why you should buy this: Written without care for subgenre classification has made this perhaps one of the best YA books I’ve ever read that isn’t really a YA book. It reminded me a lot of ‘The Book of the Baku’ by R.L. Boyle it tone and pacing, but wholeheartedly a Sodergren book. His narrative prose style has become his own, which he fully owns and much like my favorite authors – Andrew Pyper and Adam Nevill – I immediately knew I was in a Sodergren book with the way it was written.

Sodergren has forged a path ahead as a total Indie Author, bucking the desire to query, be represented and be traditionally published and it’s books like this, that showcase why he’s become so successful, so widely read and so widely celebrated. I didn’t know if he could top ‘Rotten Tommy,’ yet here we are, not even seven months later and he’s left the brilliance of that novel in the dust.

The best novel he’s released yet, Sodergren proves why he’s a must-read author and why so many people love his work.

A magical gem.

5/5

Book Review: Monsters Among Us by J.H. Moncrieff

Title: Monsters Among Us

Author: J.H. Moncrieff

Release date: August 28th, 2024

J.H. Moncrieff returns with a new monster tale and with this new one, we get a mash-up of two of her most popular characters from previous books! In this new novel, Moncrieff unites Nat from ‘Return to Dyatlov Pass’ and ‘Shadow of the Sasquatch’ with Flora from ‘Monsters in our Wake.’ I was super excited when this was announced, because I love the Nat character and Flora was solid working tentatively with Nokken the sea monster in ‘Monsters in our Wake.’ As with most Moncrieff books, the environment is at the heart of this one and humans destroying it is central to the plot.

What I liked: The story opens up with Nat having returned to her popular podcast and trying to move on physically and emotionally from the damage she suffered in ‘Shadow of the Sasquatch.’ Now, you don’t need to have read any of the previous three books that the two M/C’s have appeared in (though I highly recommend it!) as J.H. does a great job of summarizing the events from them throughout. On the podcast, a call comes in – a small island is being picked off by sea creatures and they believe Nat can help. When Flora hears this, she contacts Nat and they head to the island, joined by Nat’s producer, Flora’s son, and Archie, the only other survivor from the boat Flora was on in ‘Monsters in our Wake.’

At the island, events heat up and Moncrieff goes into Moncrieff mode – plenty of emotional tug-of-wars, creature carnage and the discovery of what is behind the creatures return. The islanders rely on fishing to survive and with their boats being destroyed and the people doing the fishing being killed, they want to fight and take back what they believe is rightfully their place to fish, even after Flora contacts the sea creatures and learns the ugly truth.

The last quarter of this novel is truly discovery. We learn something about Flora, something about Zach and we see Nat and Flora – and a despicable journalist – having to find a way to co-exist and survive. Moncrieff ups the stakes when a secret government aspect becomes involved and everything is turned up another notch.

The ending was solid, filled with sorrow, but also optimistic, and leaving the door open for further adventures from an main character.

What I didn’t like:  Personally, I never found that Nat or Flora had time to have their own bigger, longer moments. The book couldn’t decide which one to really focus on, so their time was split, but never really got as deep and introspective as when they were on their own. It works, to tell their stories together, but I wish we could’ve had more time to really delve deeper, especially with some of the revelations.

As well, the secret government aspect will either work for readers or it won’t. I can’t go too far into it – spoilers and such – but I thought it was fun, if not slightly off the main path the story seemed to be following.

Why you should buy it: If you love big, fun, action-filled creature thrillers, this one’s perfect. If you’re a Moncrieff fan, you’ll be all over this. And if you love environmental impact based stories, this one features that aspect at its core. Moncrieff delivers a home run with this one, whether you’re a fan of Nat, Flora or creatures, and I for one, can’t wait to see what’s next.

5/5