Steve Stred's Blog, page 76

Book Review: Les Vacances by Phil Sloman

Title: Les Vacances

Author: Phil Sloman

Release date: Originally released 2018, rereleased April 29, 2020

Yup, I know what you’re thinking. Posting a review on Christmas Day. Bit much, yeah?

The truth is, I was going to wait until tomorrow, but I got a block of free time right now and wanted to dive in and get this posted while I had it fresh in my mind. A bonus – a lot of folks get Amazon cards as gifts for Xmas, so I figured maybe my review can sway a few folks to snap a copy of this.

Truthfully, this book wasn’t on my radar until a few days ago. I’d not even heard of this release, as shameful as that sounds, but Dave Jeffery has been posting his Top Ten reads of the year list, one each day, and this one was featured the other day. If Dave loves it, I wanna dive in.

What I liked: ‘Les Vacances’ is a very fast story (I read it in about 45 minutes) about a married couple who, having gone to the vacation spot for a number of years, decide to mix things up. Where usually they’d head to the English countryside, Frank suggests that they stay at a small villa in France. Lizzy reluctantly agrees and off they go.

Sloman has a way with words. I believe it’s listed at 60 pages and not a single word or paragraph his wasted. We get whisked away to the French countryside and arrive at a small farm.

As you’d expect – this is horror after all – things go horrible wrong soon after. They discover some grave stones, Lizzie sees some things and before you know it you’ve finished reading this thing. And then all of the depravity sets in and you can’t fathom what’s just occurred. It truly is like a car crash. You see it happen, you can’t believe it and then a few hours later more insane details pop up.

I really enjoyed the setting here and while Sloman gives us a small peck on the cheek of  history, we can connect the dots as to how horrible this little village truly is.

What I didn’t like: God, I hope Duncan Ralston doesn’t read this. Because I HATED the character of Lizzie and he’s convinced I always hate one of the significant others in each book I read. NOT TRUE RALSTON. But, in this case, I did! I just didn’t enjoy how Lizzie immediately resorted to thinking Frank had the hots for the hostess and how irrational she acted from the second they arrived. The set up suggested she was excited to go, but then it came off as she never wanted to go and that Frank wasn’t the love of her life. Irksome but definitely needed to show how the area hooked its tentacles into the psyche.

Why you should buy this: As I said, this is a very fast, brutal read. If you enjoy my own works, you’ll dig this. But more than that, Sloman is a very talented writer and he’s crafted a story that could easily be taken as a relative of something Adam Nevill would create. The setting in here is divine and the way the finale rolls out was spot on. Sloman has really delivered the goods with this novella and you really should dive in and see just how creeped out this book will make you.

5/5

Book Review: The House That Jack Built by Dale Robertson

Title: The House that Jack Built

Author: Dale Robertson

Release date: June 6, 2018

I would wager that almost from day one on Twitter, when I started out promoting my own writing instead of my athletic pursuits, Dale connected and started supporting. I could’ve sworn I already had this book, it was listed on my TBR, but when I finally (and it took me a shamefully long time to get to it) arrived, I found it wasn’t on my Kindle. So, I snagged it and dove in.

This thing hums along. Robertson really crafted an engaging and exciting story here.

What I liked: ‘The House that Jack Built’ tells us the story of three pre-teens, Seb, Tommy and Regan, who want to make a name for themselves at school. The way to do that? Go to where the legend of Old Man Jack started and spend some time at night in his old house.

Robertson starts this off with a very familiar trope but manages to rework it enough for it to feel fresh and vibrant. I was drawn in immediately and the writing was fantastic.

Of course, things don’t go as they should. This is a horror book after all.

In order to conjure/call forth Jack, three scary stories must be told. So, each of the students tells a story, each one unique and enjoyable, and then they wait. Robertson did a great job of telling the three stories in different writer voices, which also allowed us to feel more connection with each of the kids.

As the story moves on, we get some incredibly creepy moments and Dale doesn’t let up until the ending arrives.

What I didn’t like: Truthfully, I didn’t like the character of Regan one bit. Some of it was purposeful on Dale’s part, some of it was my annoyance at the way the character interacted and some of their dialog, but in the end this made the finale of the story really grind my gears. Some of you will really dig it, but I felt it was a bit too straightforward and apparent.

Why you should buy this: This was a really fun time and a great take on a tried and true story plot. Robertson injected a lot of enjoyment in this, which kept me engaged and on board the entire time. I truly had a blast and I think this one should definitely be checked out.

4/5

Book Review: A Song for the End by Kit Power

Title: A Song for the End

Author: Kit Power

Release date: October 30, 2020

Why did I not have this on my radar sooner?

I remember seeing this a bit when it was released, but for some reason I never took a closer look into what it was about. It maybe due to my recent misses when it comes to music/horror themed releases, but this sounded great.

I snagged a copy recently and threw it to the top of my TBR. If it wasn’t for a few other books I have on the go, I would’ve easily read this in one sitting. It was captivating and a refreshing take on apocalypse themed stories.

What I liked: The story is told in rapid fire fashion. We start off with a seemingly innocent band practice coming to a end. All of the members believe they’ve finally written a hit song, just none of them can really recall how it went or what the lyrics were. The song gets uploaded to the bands Youtube page and from there, things go full out.

Power delivers this story with delight. Once you listen to the song you have to tell the truth or your brain will explode. That’s right. You even so much as attempt a lie and hemorrhaging occurs. So, the majority of the story is a race to stop the song from spreading as the government tries to isolate what is causing this pandemic.

I really enjoyed all of the characters, except one, which I’ll mention in a bit. The rest were all spot on and I loved how as the reality of ‘telling the truth’ sets in, we see the ramifications become apparent to each and every individual.

This was a really great, fresh take on anything pandemic/apocalyptic related. We see the fall of civilization occur, in real time, as the spread of the song online takes hold.

Now, I do want to say – the word pandemic is one a lot of people want to avoid in literature right now. There really is no other way to describe what is occurring in the story. It isn’t a virus based story, but when the infection of the song takes hold and spreads, that meets that definition of pandemic and Power does a great job of keeping the action frantic.

What I didn’t like: I truthfully loved 99% of this book. The only thing I didn’t like was a single character. Our main characters significant other. When our main character, Bill, calls her back finally to tell her what is happening, that interaction annoyed the hell out of me. He tells her the song causes this to happen. He warns her. Yet we still read along as she turns on a computer and wants to hear it herself. AAHHHH!

Why you should buy this: Are you looking for a really quick, burst of fun with a unique and exciting premise? Here you go. This was such a blast and one that I’m glad I dove into. Power really engaged the reader throughout the entire page count. This was one that I was hoping I’d dig going in but found I loved it once finished, and that’s always a massive bonus.

Definitely worth checking out and sits nicely alongside Scott Coles ‘Crazytimes’ and Carl John Lee’s ‘The Blood Beast Mutations’ for best, unexpected fun novellas this year!

5/5

Book Review: Sabbath of the Fox-Devils by Sam Richard

[image error]

Title: Sabbath of the Fox-Devils

Author: Sam Richard

Release date: May 15, 2020

The third and final book sent to me to check out from Weirdpunk Books is ‘Sabbath of the Fox-Devils’ by Sam Richard. Look at that cover! I mentioned previously in my review for ‘Seventeen Names for Skin’ the first of the three Weirdpunk releases I reviewed that I simply read that one first as it showed on my Kindle screen first. After reading all three, any one could’ve easily read the three in a random order and had a blast with each release. Three very different releases but three absolutely stellar releases.

I’ve previously read Sam’s haunting collection ‘To Wallow in Ash and Other Sorrows,’ so going in I wasn’t too sure if this would be another grief based read or if the cover was hinting at some fun to come.

What I liked: ‘Sabbath of the Fox-Devils’ is a bonkers coming-of-age horror novella. Our young main character lives in a house ruled by his parents and their crushing religious beliefs. We find out that Joe is struggling with his older brother leaving and having no contact with him. A cartoon seems to connect some dots and from there Joe is able to unravel his brothers abrupt departure and just what secrets the priest is hiding.

This book is full on fun. We get emotional depth as Joe struggles with dealing with his brother leaving as well as trying to unravel the depths the lies go in the town.

Richard’s does a fantastic job of bouncing between religious “insight” and moving the story along. The bridges, which is the most accurate term I can think of for the religious side bits, really deepen the fervor which the priest has cast over the congregation. As well, the arrival of the Fox-Devils plot point was fantastic and the folklore bent that Sam delivers was really well done.

What I didn’t like: It’s a minor thing, but at the start I felt like Joe was a younger character than he appears in the second half. Maybe it was the length of the novella that made it feel rushed, but it seemed as though Joe aged and matured rapidly in a short amount of time. Didn’t affect the story at all, but it was something I noticed.

Why you should buy this: A) Weirdpunk Books is putting out stunning releases. This is the fourth book from them I’ve read and all have been top notch and very different from each other, which is an achievement all on its own. B) Richard can really capture a lot of different feelings and emotions with his writing. This goes from sorrow to horror to grief to ballistic missile over and over and it truly was a work of art watching him control these characters. C) If that cover and that synopsis intrigues you – what the book delivers is 10x better than you’ll ever expect going in.

This was another great book from a publisher I’m so happy to have discovered this year.

5/5

You can buy this book direct from Weirdpunk Books here;

https://weirdpunkbooks.square.site/

Or from Amazon here;

Book Review: Prairie Gothic: An Anthology edited by Stacey Kondla

[image error]

Title: Prairie Gothic

Release date: November 20, 2020

Growing up in a very, very small town in the middle of nowhere in BC created one of the weirdest small townism that has stayed with me until this very day.

When I was young, we had three TV channels: CBC, BCTV and The Knowledge Network. One of my favorite shows was a CBC show called ‘On the Road Again,’ which was hosted by Wayne Rostad. It ran for 20 years, from 1987 until 2007 and was an early inspiration for The Mercer Report with Rick Mercer. Wayne would travel to the smallest towns and meet the people and participate in whatever it was that the town did for fun. During one such episode, Wayne travelled to New Denver. HOLY HELL! New Denver, I thought. Why that’s thirty minutes from Nakusp. And Nakusp is only thirty minutes from Burton and that means Wayne Rostad is only an HOUR from me! To this day, any mention of those small towns brings that same sense of wonderment. That shared moment of ‘you’ve been to the middle of nowhere to!’

So it was, that recently I became Facebook friend with Craid DiLouie. I’d recently read ‘The Children of Red Peak’ from Mr. DiLouie and was stunned that he was living in Calgary. We chatted a bit on messenger and then I saw him share the release details for ‘Prairie Gothic: An Anthology.’ Featuring stories centered around Alberta, I knew I needed to read this and if anything, discover new authors with Alberta links. I’ve become friends with Mike Thorn, so I was excited to see his name on the list, especially being a fan of his work.

I grabbed a Kindle copy and this group of stories was so well done, I ended up reading it in one sitting.

What I liked: Well, after such a long-winded intro, I better do this book justice! The book opens with a fantastic poem/lyrics by Jim Jackson and an introduction by Stacey Kondla. This did a great job of setting the tone for what was to follow. Within the mix of stories, the authors really highlighted various dark fiction plots/tropes and not a single story was a miss for me. I need to highlight that again. Typically in a collection from a single author or an anthology such as this, there will inevitably be one or two where you read it and go ‘yeah, that was alright but not for me.’ Not with this one.

Saying that, I do want to highlight the stories that really stuck out for me, starting with story number one. ‘Darling House’ by PJ Vernon was a truly phenomenal opener. This story was simple in delivery but wow did it pack a punch. Staying spoiler free – I just want to say, you’ll never look at candles the same way ever again.

‘Mini McDonagh Manor’ by Mike Thorn was pristine and showed why I love Mike’s writing so much. Following a woman who needs to confront things from the past, Mike does a really great job of encasing an entire ‘haunted house’ book in a dozen or so pages. Well done.

‘The Frostlings’ by Chris Marrs was truly creepy. This one was tough to peg down with the emotional response it gave me, but I think the word that keeps coming to the front of my mind is chaotic and claustrophobic. Loved it.

For me though, the one that I truly loved the most was from Stacey Kondla herself. ‘Don’t Count Your Chickens’ might have been the shortest story in the anthology, but for me it packed the biggest punches, both for unnerving energy and creep factor. The story, and I need to keep this brief to make sure I don’t ruin it for you, is about something outside, something in the night. God, that’s all I can share! I wish I could say more, but this story was A+ infinity. Stunning stuff!

What I didn’t like: As I said earlier, every story worked for me here, so I’m going to go in a different direction here. What I don’t like about this anthology is that I’M NOT SEEING IT MORE OFTEN! This thing is amazing and truly deserving of being showcased wide and far. I’m a bit annoyed myself that I already posted my top ten anthology/collection list, because truthfully this would easily be featured on there.

Why you should buy this: I just want to thank Craig for bringing this anthology to my attention. That’s all it can take to make a sale, sharing a book on a social media platform, so I’m grateful to him for that post. I don’t think this will appeal to only ‘Albertans’ or ‘Small Town Canadians.’ The fact is, every town is haunted, every place has a house you avoid, a street you don’t walk on after dark. I grew up in a town of less than 100 people and we had both. This will speak to every reader who loves dark fiction, but for those of us who’ve been to many of these locations, it may just amplify the creeps a tiny bit more.

This brought a number of new-to-me authors to my attention and in 2021 I’ll be looking to read more of their work, but for now, I have to say – this is one of the best anthologies I’ve ever read. And I’d really love it if you would read it as well.

5/5

Top Ten Collections/Anthologies of 2020!

Alright, so last week I shared my list of top ten books I read in 2020 that weren’t released in 2020. Soon, you’ll find my list of my top 10 books of 2020 from 2020 over on Kendall Reviews.

But, I also wanted to feature some truly amazing Collections/Anthologies that I read this year. This list is purely based on reading in 2020 and not publication date. I read A LOT of collections this year and A LOT of anthologies, which made it very difficult to whittle it down to a top ten. I did cheat though, in that I doubled two of them up, but you’ll see why and because this is my site, I’ll damn well bend the rules if I want! HA!

For this list, the order is based on when I read them during the year starting with earliest to most recent.

1. To Wallow In Ash & Other Sorrows by Sam Richard

[image error]

An grief filled batch of stories, Sam opens this up with a foreword sharing that after his wife passed away, the only two things that kept him alive was his pup and writing this collection. Be warned – this group of stories will absolutely wreck you.

You can buy this from Weirdpunk Books here;

https://weirdpunkbooks.square.site/

Or Amazon;

2. Dark Celebrations by Calvin Demmer

[image error]

Demmer returns with another fantastic group of stories. I loved that we start off strong and each story grew and grew until the final few were excellent. Demmer is one of my favorite authors and I get excited for each and every one of his releases.

3. Grotesque Monster Stories by Lee Murray

[image error]

Lee Murray is not only one of the most encouraging authors out there, she’s also one of the nicest. Don’t let that fool you though. The brutality and darkness she delivers in this stunning collection will make even the hardest reader squirm. 

4. North American Lake Monsters & Wounds: Six Stories From the Border of Hell by Nathan Ballingrud

I couldn’t just choose one of the two collections I read from Mr. Ballingrud this year as both were superb. Covering a variety of story lines, each and every one eats into your brain. I loved these two.

5. Murder Ballads and Other Horrific Tales by John Horner Jacobs

[image error]

After I was shockingly approved for a digital ARC for this (blew me away!) I dove into this collection and saw why so many people have recommended I read John Horner Jacobs. Featuring some truly stunning stories, this really was outstanding.

6. Every House is Haunted by Ian Rogers 

[image error]

Ian Rogers collection was a spellbinding experience and one that made me a bit ashamed that it took me so long to dive into. Pair this with his Tor release ‘Go Fish’ and you get a really great world that I hope to visit more of. FYI – the ebook is currently unavailable but will hopefully be returning to the world soon. Used/secondary paperbacks are able to be found, or once again, you could wait until a re-release!

7. Under Her Black Wings and Graveyard Smash by Kandisha Press

The first two anthologies from Kandisha Press feature a stunning TOC of some of the best writers out there. These are must read for fans of dark fiction and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a Stoker be awarded for short fiction from Volume 2.

8. Cradleland of Parasites by Sara Tantlinger

[image error]

A poetry collection centered around The Black Plague, Tantlinger absolutely eviscerates the reader with each additional poem in this collection. Stunning work from an absolute beast of a writer.

9. Different Beasts by J.R. McConvey

[image error]

McConvey’s collection was a joy to find. I wasn’t sure what to expect but his storytelling and prose mastery was fantastic. Featuring some great dark fiction, I loved this batch of stories and look forward to reading more of his work.

10. Wyrd and Other Derelictions by Adam Nevill.

[image error]

Adam Nevill has been a revelation for me this year, having read a number of his releases. With ‘Wyrd and Other Derelictions’ he took a bold leap and completely delivered. This book is one of the most unsettling things you’ll ever read. 

You can purchase the book directly from Nevill here;

Ritual Limited Shop

Or from Amazon here;

There we go. Done and dusted. Now keep your eyes open for my Top Ten of 2020 list coming soon to Kendall Reviews!

 

Book Review: The Best of Indie Horror Presented by Kevin J Kennedy

[image error]

Title: The Best of Indie Horror Presented by Kevin J. Kennedy

Release date: November 26, 2020

For the sake of complete transparency, I’ll start off by saying, Kevin J. Kennedy has been very kind to me in my short writing career. Not only did Kevin send me my first acceptance, I’ve been fortunate enough to appear in four different releases through Kevin J. Kennedy Publishing, including two of his Horror Anthologies.

I’ve always loved Kevin’s packaging both visually but artistically. He has his finger on the pulse of who delivers great stories and so, when he announced the next anthology would be titled ‘The Best of Indie Horror,’ I knew we’d be getting some fantastic short fiction.

Before I dive into my normal format, I do want to say – if you’ve not read any of the previous Kevin J. Kennedy Publishing Anthologies, I highly recommend you do. You’re guaranteed to discover new to you authors who have amazing back catalogs, but also some very familiar names that you’ve already grown to love.

What I liked: ‘The Best of Indie Horror’ features some of the best names out there right now and the highlight here is that every single reader will discover a story inside that will be their personal favorite. I found the quality of stories here outstanding and it shows that Kevin really devotes time and love into these releases. His investment in the quality allows the readers to benefit ten-fold.

For me, the stories from Christina Bergling, Lee Murray and Nicola Lombardi, Mark Cassell, Andrew Lennon and Mark Lukens were superb. Each one crackled and the energy was fantastic. Saying that, there were a few stories that I found to be my personal favorites.

The anthology opens with a really great story from Calvin Demmer. Following a warrior attempting to find paradise, he must complete three tasks to arrive at the desired destination. Each task was written so well that it was a classic Demmer offering: 300 pages of story in only a dozen or so pages. The ending was superb.

Tim Curran’s offering roughly 30% in was another amazing story for me. I wish I could find more stories centered around Urban Exploring as it greatly intrigues me. We get to see a group of UrbEx people head into a place that not many have explored. When they arrive, things go sideways and Curran decides to ramp up the HOLY-HELL horror and we get some stunningly brutal scenes. Well done.

Showing just how solid this anthology is, the final story from Lex H Jones was also one of the best. Featuring a narrative that felt influenced by King’s ‘The Mist,’ we follow a father and daughter trying to survive after sinkholes open and things crawl out. A short story that packed a wallop of action and emotion, I was captivated from start to finish. Jones is such an amazing author and I’ve loved everything I’ve read of his. This one was perfect.

What I didn’t like: As with any anthology, some of the stories won’t resonate with each reader. In this case every story here was a good time, but mileage will vary from reader to reader. My fav may be your least.

Why you should buy this: As I mentioned in the intro, Kevin J. Kennedy keeps churning out great anthologies and this one is no exception. It would be a great place for any reader to dive in and discover new talent, or simply a place to read stories from authors they already enjoy. I loved the mix of plots and tropes and there really wasn’t a let down between one to the next.

Great stuff from a great group of authors and an anthology that I highly recommend!

5/5

Top Ten Best Books I Read This Year, Not From This Year!

Welp, it’s that time of year again, when the “Best-Of” lists start showing up and people dissect each and every choice. It’s a tough slog. So far, as of writing this post, I’ve read 220 books this year and I’ll probably finish another dozen if things go well.

Now, I will be featuring a Top Ten list over on Kendall Reviews as well, but I’ve decided to switch it up and to two different lists. The one that will be on Kendall Reviews will be featuring the top ten books I read this year that released in 2020.

The list here? The top ten books I read this read that didn’t come out this year!

I know we all want the brand new and most recent books all day everyday, but just because a book didn’t come out in 2020 doesn’t mean it’s not worth reading!

So, without further wait – here are my Top Ten Books I Read This Year, Not From This Year!

1. The Killing Circle by Andrew Pyper.

[image error]

Released January 1st, 2008, I read this earlier in the year to be featured in my May Pyper-May-Nia! celebration. I was left gobsmacked. To the point that this release is easily my all time favorite book from my all time favorite author. The story follows a writer who joins a group in an attempt to write his first novel. Things fall apart when members begin to disappear. This book left me breathless.

2. Every Heart a Doorway (Wayward Children #1) by Seanan McGuire.

[image error]

Released back in 2016, McGuire’s first entry in the Wayward Children series was a superb read. Telling the story of a group of children sent to a special school, McGuire deftly crafted a true gem of a release. I had been meaning to get to reading this book far sooner than I ended up and since then I’ve also read Book Two and will start Book Three shortly! Outstanding work.

3. The Ritual by Adam Nevill

[image error]

Released back in 2011, Nevill’s story of a group of friends frantically trying to survive in the woods was tailor made for me. This is one of the very few times I’d ever watched the movie before reading a book and I have to say – while both are excellent – the book was far and away a more chaotic, pulse-pounding experience. This was one of the best books I’ve every read, let alone this year.

4. The Guardians by Andrew Pyper

[image error]

Another 2011 arrival, The Guardians was read right before The Killing Circle and left me stunned. While it might have been best to not feature two Pyper books on a list of only ten, I simply couldn’t leave this coming-of-age/haunted house story off because it is so friggin’ good. Set in small town Canada, a group of friends is forced to return to where they grew up when one of their friends passes away. The haunted house that they all avoided as kids seems to be linked to his death. Pyper really delivered another fantastic release.

5. The Toy Thief by D.W. Gillespie

[image error]

Flame Tree Press released this stellar read in 2018, and after loving his most recent release One by One, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer to read The Toy Thief. The story follows a young kid who accidentally video tapes something slinking into their house one night and steals a toy that has significant sentimental value. What Gillespie does after is a truly phenomenal mix of dark fiction and fantasy. Loved this one so much.

6. The Old One and The Sea by Lex H. Jones

[image error]

Released in November 2019, The Old One and The Sea by Lex H Jones just snuck under the wire to qualify. Saying that, this book reads like the stories you grew up on. Written for younger readers and adults alike, this follows our young main character Howard who finds a friend with a creature in the water when a mysterious reef arrives. The illustrations are gorgeous and the narrative was fantastic.

7. Where the Woods End by Charlotte Salter

[image error]

Released in August 2018, this was a book I stumbled upon in a Shoppers Drug Mart up here in Canada. I snagged a stunning hardcover on sale, and then purchased the Kindle copy so I could read it. I ended up buddy reading this with Jen aka BookDen on Twitter. The story follows Kestrel as they live in a mysterious place deep in the woods. Always wary of the Grabbers that come, there is a lot to unpack in a truly enjoyable read.

8. At the End of the Day I Burst Into Flames by Nicholas Day

[image error]

Nicholas Day’s 2018 release At the End of the Day I Burst Into Flames was a book that kept being suggested to me by a number of friends and after I read it, I started recommending it to everyone who’d listen. A story about dealing with grief and how to process life’s events, Day doesn’t let the reader off the hook. Outstanding work.

9. The Cold by Rich Hawkins

[image error]

Released in July, 2019, Hawkins The Cold is a story that features a world suddenly plunged into a frozen wasteland while cosmic beasts descend to ravage those unfortunate enough to survive the first frost. Told with a pedal-to-the-metal narrative, Hawkins delivers a truly fantastic apocalyptic story.

10. The Damned (The Darkest Hand Trilogy Book #1) by Tarn Richardson

[image error]

Originally released in 2015, but re-released in 2019, Tarn Richardson’s book The Damned is a historical fiction werewolf story that introduces one of the best main characters to ever grace the pages of a book; Poldek Tacit. Richardson crafted a really fantastic story here which makes me excited to dive into Book Two at the start of 2021.

There we have it! Let me just say it was incredibly difficult to whittle this down to only a top 10 and truthfully the amount of amazing books I read shows just how alive and well dark fiction really is.

Book Review: Apartment 16 by Adam Nevill

[image error]

Title: Apartment 16

Author: Adam Nevill

Release date: May 21, 2010

2020 has been the year of discovering Adam Nevill. So far, I’ve read Last Days, The Ritual, The Reddening, Wyrd & Other Derelictions and his two mini-collections Before You Wake and Before You Sleep and all have been fantastic reads. While falling in love with Last Days, I made sure to pick up his back catalog so that everything was locked and loaded on my Kindle so I could dive in ASAP. Of course, ASAP meant it took me a few more months longer to get to Apartment 16 than originally planned, and, this being a pleasure read for me, I took a little longer to let this soak in.

So, knowing that I had all of the previous Nevill books at my disposal, why this one? Why Apartment 16?

Near the end of last year, a friend of mine read this book and messaged me to say that this had been the most frightening book they’d ever read. It made me curious. So, that was the decision maker. If it scared my friend, it would surely make me keep my feet tucked in at night, yeah?

What I liked: One thing I’ve quickly discovered is that it’s almost impossible to accurately review a Nevill book because there are so many layers, so many textures added to with each passing chapter that when the books really take off, once the base layers have been poured and the foundation has settled, you can’t speak of them in the review as it’ll be 100% spoilers.

Apartment 16 starts off with the familiar ‘haunted house’ narrative of a rich aunt has passed away, leaving her apartment in a prestigious part of London to her sister and niece who live in America. They’ve not seen each other in many, many years and had though the aunt had died long before. The niece travels to London to review the apartment and get it set up to sell, but once there finds out her aunt was eccentric and the apartment itself features a number of oddities.

It’s from that synopsis that Nevill showcases why he is a master storytelling and, while I’m no scholar on older works, harkens back to the time when story and setting where told over a number of pages, not blasted at us in thirty second sound bites. Nevill really took his time to create a number of working pieces that when they all came together left me stunned and breathless. Even the two characters I hated and wished were not in the book for a solid 90% of the story were paramount to the story and at the ending were necessary for how things occurred.

Nevill really does have a way of crafting a story and as I mentioned, layers the narrative with in-depth and intriguing plot points. Much like how things happened with Last Days, Apartment 16 has some fantastic ‘additional’ back story which really elevated our antagonist. Loved the eccentric meeting with fans of this character as well as how those who’d previously known this character had ‘evolved.’ Again, really tough to describe these workings while staying spoiler free!

What I didn’t like: I mentioned it briefly, but there were two characters I loathed. I’ll briefly say that the young boy was necessary, but I found his arrivals at the beginning distractive and I wasn’t sure of the need (until later on) and Miles. For someone who stated they wanted to learn so much more about our antagonist he sure seemed to be a bit wishy-washy on learning more later on.

Why you should buy this: If we go all the way back to my initial introduction where my friend told me how scary it was, the logical question now would be; did this book scare me? Answer. Absolutely! Again, much like Last Days, Nevill has a way of shaping the shadows in the corner of the room so that they move and slither while you read. The apartment itself is sneakily left with limited descriptions so when we do spend time in there, it creaks and groans and makes you wish a light was on or that you were reading the book in a crowded space. Safety in numbers is best while enjoying a Nevill book. Apartment 16 may be ten years old now, but there is nothing about it that feels dated. It’s a modern classic that gives us a new spin on how haunted places can act and the lengths the space will go to get what it needs.

I absolutely loved this one and think you will as well.

5/5

If you’d like to buy direct from Adam (with signed options available) you can do so here;

Ritual Limited Shop

Amazon link;

Book Review: The Mud Ballad by Jo Quenell

[image error]

Title: The Mud Ballad

Author: Jo Quenell

Release date: April 30, 2020

You ever read something that just makes you feel filthy? As though you need a shower and it’ll take steel wool to scrub away the dirt that squirmed its way into your skin?

‘The Mud Ballad’ by Jo Quenell did such a thing to me.

This is the second of three books that Sam at Weirdpunk Books sent for me to check out and the third book overall of their press that I’ve read (the other being the stunning upcoming release from Joanna Koch ‘Wingspan of Severed Hands) and I’m blown away. Stunned, truly with how amazing these releases are. I’m also stunned, and saddened to be honest, that I haven’t seen more people raving about ‘The Mud Ballad’ and the previous release I read ‘Seventeen Names for Skin.’

Considering this is Quenell’s debut release, this novella has the makings of an author I’ll be sure to follow.

**Now, I do want to add a quick caveat – I couldn’t find any social media links for Quenell, but judging from the author bio, I’ll use they/them pronouns. If this is incorrect, I’d greatly appreciate somebody reaching out and I can make the appropriate edits!**

What I liked: In a prologue fit for the darkest of black days, we open in a small town. The travelling circus has arrived and the conjoined twins are one of the many ‘freaks’ to be featured in the sideshow. But for one of the twins, it’s become too much and they take it into their own hands to kill their brother and slice him from their head.

From there, Quenell rolls out a narrative that is filled with rain, mud and a comedy of errors. We pick up some years later. Jonathan, our living twin, was exiled from the circus and remained in the town where they killed their brother. Dawes, the circus doctor has returned, looking for his former love after the circus itself has been retired.

Not content to turn this into a tale of a former freak and a disgraced physician trying to find a place in the world, Quenell deftly adds in a found grimoire and Jonathan’s hairbrained scheme to resurrect his twin and have Dawes surgically reunite them.

Throughout this story, Quenell delivers time and time again, some of the dirtiest and filthiest descriptions I’ve ever read. It always rains in this town. Animal fights and drinking are the local pastimes. Dawes and Jonathan both have jobs working two of the lowest positions in one of the lowest places on the planet. But, Quenell manages to do something really interesting here. They make you want to see these two succeed. Jonathan misses hearing that other voice in his head. Dawes just wants to help his buddy and see the boy smile again. It is an odd pairing but a pairing that works.

A lot of this story even gave me shades of some of the 80’s slapstick comedies. National Lampoon’s and John Candy stuff where a shovel is conveniently placed for a person to step on and get hit with it. Only, within this story, that isn’t a shovel. No, it’s a knife or a train.

Quenell has truly crafted a gem from start to finish here. A phenomenal piece of writing that had me riveted from page one.

What I didn’t like: The grimoire aspect was absolutely necessary for the plot and the ending reflected that. Saying that, I almost found some of the paranormal stuff that arrives later on a bit odd, considering the scope of the story before it. It does work, but it may be jarring for some readers.

As well, I typically can’t stand any sort of comedy in my horror/dark fiction reads, but wow did Quenell use it well when needed and for the majority of it, the ‘comedy’ was truly dark in nature.

Why you should buy this: Weirdpunk Books, over the course of only three books, has cemented itself as a MUST read press. I have one more book to check out, but from what I’ve read, I have no concerns I won’t enjoy it.

Quenell wrote a stunning debut novella, one that quickly and effortlessly has made them an author for me to watch. This book should be on so many ‘Best Of’ lists for 2020 (as well as Seventeen Names for Skin) so if you haven’t read it, there’s still time. The writing is crisp, bleak and filled with decay and Quenell never once let’s in a single slice of sunshine.

Fantastic stuff. Absolutely fantastic.

5/5

To buy direct from Weirdpress Books;

https://weirdpunkbooks.square.site/product/The-Mud-Ballad-Jo-Quenell/20

Amazon link;