Steve Stred's Blog, page 6

Announcing the 30th Anniversary Edition of Andrew Pyper’s ‘Kiss Me’!!

Andrew Pyper & Black Void Publishing announce the 30th Anniversary Re-Release of Andrew’s debut collection ‘Kiss Me,’ coming March 13th, 2026!

Released to critical acclaim in 1996, ‘Kiss Me’ heralded the arrival of a new voice in fiction. Within the thirteen stories, Andrew’s mastery of prose was on display, as well as Alice Munro’s influence. Each story is a cross-section of mid-20’s life, and now, the collection will be returning with a new, lovingly crafted re-release.

Featuring new artwork by Don Noble of Rooster Republic Press, the book will feature the original thirteen stories as well as a foreword by long time Toronto Star reviewer James Grainger, an introduction by Steve Stred, an afterword by Randall Perry, three additional stories not originally featured in the collection but released around that time period, and an extensive in-depth interview with Andrew conducted by Luke Hathaway shortly after the 1996 release.”I’m thrilled to see this edition of ‘Kiss Me’ release for the 30th Anniversary!” says Andrew Pyper of the announcement.

A must-have release that has been highly sought after in recent years, this collection will make long-time Andrew Pyper fans very happy, as well as excite new fans alike!

Watch for order links in the near future!

Book Review: The King of Carcosa by Joseph Sale

Title: The King of Carcosa (Lost Carcosa #5)

Author: Joseph Sale

Release date: November 19th, 2024

And here we are.

THE END.

It’s a bittersweet moment whenever a series reaches its conclusion. I remember when I got to the end of The Dark Tower series (PS I loved the ending) and you realize you’ve reached the culmination of all of the characters journeys. These made up ideas that’ve formed and fully taken shape within your mind as living, breathing, solid people/creatures. They’ve arrived at the end and after that, no more. Of course, in the world of fiction (and movies) they can be revived and you can visit them again, but the truth is that depending on the reader, you may or may not want to return.

There’s a fine line between creators and consumers when it comes to THE END. Look at the tv series LOST. If you watched the show, you either loved the ending or hated it. But there’s no arguing about the one fact – it was THE END. Same with Game of Thrones. The TV series obviously. Who knows if we’ll ever see the end of the book series. And for the record – I loved the LOST finale but I haven’t seen the final season of GOT.

All of that is to say, that here, at the ending of Sale’s epic retelling/reimaging of The King in Yellow mythology, we arrive at a point where there’s both physical and philosophical storylines to wrap up and if it was any other writer than Sale, it’d be a daunting task. I went into this one immediately after it loaded on my Kindle. I couldn’t wait to see how LeBarron, Cali, Cass, Petruccio and Alan’s journeys concluded. And, as I expected, Sale wrapped this up magnificently.

Obviously, if you’ve not read books one through four there will be heavy spoilers for those within this review (even though it’ll be vague), but still, pause here and stop reading if you’ve not read those and return after you have!

What I liked: The story picks up directly after the horrific events of book four. Cali has killed Alan, and taken the throne, now acting as The Demon Queen. Looking to topple Carcosa, she unleashes a tidal wave of death, her army killing without mercy. LeBarron, Petruccio and Cassilda now band together, with hope dwindling and a positive outcome fading to stand tall and fight against Cali.

While book four seemingly suggested Alan Chambers storyline had ran its course, if you’ve followed his journey through the first four books, you’ll have seen that Alan is more than just a man who sought the entrance to Carcosa and survived the trials to be allowed within. The layers of who he really is was slowly revealed and book four really heightened that. Sometimes, to overcome, a character needs to die a mortal death to be reborn as something more, and this is exactly what Sale gives us. We get to see Chambers journey, meeting those exiled as well as having an in depth discussion with The King in Yellow, whom we previously believed had been killed.

It’s all to say that Sale marvelously wraps up Alan’s mortal journey and transitions him into the cosmic conclusion of his story arc. It was emotional, impactful and action packed, making for a conclusion between Alan and another character that I never saw coming, but bread crumbs had been laid out since that character was introduced.

The ending was exactly as I wanted it to be. Good versus Evil. Overcoming substantial odds. And, with a really well done Epilogue, shows the cyclical nature of storytelling in all of its pristine glory.

What I didn’t like: I, personally, am not 100% convinced that the way Alan’s story ended made complete sense. I really can’t discuss the why, but with his ascendency and the subplot of soul, I’m not sure he’s a character that could ever have a finite ‘ending.’ But I digress.

Why you should buy this: This book culminates the EPIC five book series and the beauty of this is, I don’t think any of the books were over two-hundred pages. Mind boggling. If this had been a fantasy author writing these stories, each book would’ve been one-thousand page door stoppers, but Sale has a way with prose, character and story development and this shines through across each book and across the series as a whole.

If you’ve not started this series, you absolutely have to. Each character become one you couldn’t wait to see what happened next with, and the settings across this landscape are second to none.

An outstanding conclusion by one of the most gifted writers creating today.

5/5

Book Review: The Revenant by Michael Punke

Title: The Revenant

Author: Michael Punke

Release date: June 20th, 2002

Way back in maybe 2004, I went to the Coles bookstore at Seven Oaks Mall in Abbotsford to look for something to read. It was an excursion we did every few weeks, as having moved to Abbotsford not long before, we didn’t really know too many people nor did we do much on the weekends. We’d head to the mall, check out HMV, grab some food court food and then check out Coles or the Ticketmaster Kiosk before going back home.

On this particular day, a book cover caught my attention before I’d even entered the store. It was of a man fighting a grizzly and if there was ever a book cover made to get Steve to buy a book, it was that cover. The book had been out for a few years by then, but on that day, a display had been set up and to this readers excitement, the books were all 20% off. I bought it and devoured it over that weekend, loving the story of Glass, Fitzgerald, Bridger and, as the tag line says, the revenge aspect.

Prior to reading this the first time, and again about five years later when I was reading it as thematic inspiration for my debut novel, which had been re-released recently, ‘The Invisible,’ I’d never heard of Hugh Glass, though I’d heard of folks having survived an encounter with a grizzly.

Now, as I work on another novel, I knew it was time to revisit this story and see if it still held me like it did the previous two times. Two last notes – if you’re also looking for something in a similar vein that will have you captivated from start to finish, definitely check out ‘The Grizzly King: A Romance of the Wild’ by James Oliver Curwood. It was released in 1915 and in 1988 the film ‘The Bear,’ based on the book was released. This is one of my all-time favorite books and movies. Second – I’ve still never seen the movie based on this book. I’ve heard it’s great and everything, but the tone and darkness of this book have always remained for me, so, I just can’t bring myself to watch the movie and potentially have that aspect ruined.

What I liked: Within the Historical Note aspect in the back, Punke states that this is a mix of historical accuracy and fictional moments. It works well to create a flow, and it was nice to see Punke detail what is historically known and what he fictionalized, but the crux of this story is uncontested. In the Rocky Mountains, in 1823, Hugh Glass, while scouting for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, was surprised by a mother grizzly and her two cubs. The grizzly attacked Glass, seemingly wounding him mortally.

From there, accounts differ. Most historians state that the other members of the company heard this and came to Glass’ rescue, killing the bear. Others say that Glass killed the bear himself, which is what Punke features within this book. Either way, Glass is mauled, grievously wounded and they are far from the nearest Fort. The head of the expedition,  General William Henry Ashley decides to have two men remain behind with Glass until he dies, while the rest continue on.

Within this book, the two men agree to watch him, and when Glass doesn’t die within a few days, they abandon him and forge on, wanting to meet back up with Ashley and crew. Glass somehow survives and decides to track down the two men and get his vengeance on them stealing his rifle and leaving him for dead.

Another historical fact that is undisputed, is that Glass then traversed – while seriously wounded – over 200 miles of hostile Indigenous territory, to make it to the Fort. From here, as before, facts fork off in a few ways, but within the book, Glass works to track down the two men and get what was his.

It’s a fascinating study in single-mindedness. Glass essentially becomes a pioneer-Terminator, bringing down wolves, bison and Indigenous, while crossing hundreds of miles of land. The time period is also fascinating, as it was right before the 1900’s arrived and more modernization with the Industrial revolution arrived. So, travel is slow going. Much of it is by canoe/boat or a variation of them. Either that or its by horseback and foot.

The terrain and weather play a role and we see the significant odds stacked against Glass continue to fall on him in a domino effect, yet he forges on.

Punke filled this book with so much dirt, grit and frost that it’s a wonder my Kindle didn’t short circuit and die. I felt filthy while reading it, as though dirt was getting under my nails and working its way into my skin.

The ending is just that, an ending. There’s no resolution, though in the afterword we do learn the fate of some of the historical figures that were featured within.

What I didn’t like: I found that, on this re-read at least, some portions feel like I’m reading a carefully crafted novel, while some parts felt documentarian and void of feeling. As though we went from descriptive prose to ‘this happened then this then this.’ It could be due to the non-fiction mixed with fiction angle, but hard to say.

Why you should buy this: I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again – there’s nothing more frightening in this world than what happens in the remote corners of the world. The mountains especially. Sure, the oceans are terrifying, at least what lies below the surface, but on the surface, if you’re in a vessel of some sort, lost at sea, you’ll either die of exposure or dehydration. In the mountains, there’s always something bigger, badder and more dangerous than you waiting to see you falter and leap in to rip you apart.

‘The Revenant’ is a case study in the lengths Glass was willing to go to somehow seek out vengeance and just how inhospitable large portions of North America still is. Even though this is set two-hundred years ago, within the Rocky Mountains, the terrain hasn’t changed, nor has the dangers.

If you’re looking for a brutal, uncomfortable and tension-filled book, this one is perfect. Now, it just might be time for me to watch the movie.

5/5

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/