Steve Stred's Blog, page 79

Book Review: Every Heart A Doorway by Seanan McGuire

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Title: Every Heart A Doorway

Author: Seanan McGuire

Release date: April 5, 2016

Every once in a while, a book comes along that you know you’ll love it purely by the cover art and the title. That was the case with ‘Every Heart A Doorway.’ I knew based on that alone I would be over the moon reading it and once I read the synopsis I was hooked.

Jen from the Ladies of Horror Fiction crew kept telling me to read this as well. After her and I buddy read ‘Where the Woods End’ together, she told me I absolutely had to get onto reading ‘Every Heart A Doorway,’ and now that I have – she was right.

What I liked: The story follows a young girl, Nancy. You see, some children spot doorways to different realms and plains, and some of them step through and spend time there. Those that return are ‘different.’ Because of this, the parents will send them to Eleanor and her school where they hope the children will be ‘helped.’

The book itself has such an easy flow to it that I found myself engrossed immediately. The story is hard to categorize. Is it fantasy? There are elements of horror. Definitely filled with drama and character relationships. Sometimes a book defies standard categories and this was one of them.

The characters in here are great. McGuire expertly gives us some outstanding children to want to know more about, especially when bad things begin to happen.

The school in and of itself was intriguing. We don’t get much description of how it actually looks, so the reader gets to interpret it as they wish. I suspect it was a standard, square-box, building type structure, but for me, I kept going back and picturing it as a massive tree that was hollowed out and the school built within. Why? I honestly don’t know, but that is the beauty of reading!

What I didn’t like: Completely minor thing, but throughout the read, I had a sense of complete timelessness. Or more accurately – no specific time period that this book was happening in. But at one point a character mentions that they saw something on someone’s Facebook page and that really killed that feeling for me. It doesn’t detract from the story, but for me personally, I really wished we hadn’t have know FB existed in this world.

Why you should buy it: This is part of an ongoing series, but book one reads purely like a stand alone. The ending will absolutely leave you wanting to know more, but as a single read – stunning. This had everything. You’ll go through the emotional rollercoaster with this one and a lot of questions are brought up, with some really great philosophical answers and discussion.

I had such a great time with this one. Now, I’ll need to talk my wife into letting my buy book two!

5/5

Book Review: The Cold by Rich Hawkins

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Title: The Cold

Author: Rich Hawkins

Release date: July 22, 2019

Rich Hawkins and I connected some time ago, either on Twitter or Facebook, and we’ve bantered back and forth for some time. His books frequently get recommended to me from fellow horror lovers and I have his release ‘King Carrion’ still to read.

But ‘The Cold’ has been the one that has intrigued me the most. Two big reasons really. The first is the premise/setting. You know I love my snow based horror. Add in tentacled monsters and I’ve sold. I mean look at that cover. The second reason is Adrian Shotbolt aka The GrimReader telling me how much he knew I’d love it. Adrian is one of the readers/reviewers I respect the most and when he says I’ll love a book, I can’t wait. I have a second recommendation from him I’m about to start and I’m very excited.

What I liked: ‘The Cold’ kicks off moments after a train crash/derailment where Seth and a few others managed to survive. The reason for the train crash, at first, is believed to be the massive blizzard that has arrived in the middle of summer. As Seth tries to figure out just what happened, a memory of what he saw just before the crash comes back – a massive beast from the sky.

From here ‘The Cold’ is 100% an emotionally driven survival story. A few of the people from the train crash begin to search for shelter and other people while things arrive to rip them limb from limb. Hawkins creates a chaotic story, but I loved the depth we get to each character. Little details come about that fill in who the person was and when the inevitable carnage ensues, you’ll feel sorrow that another character has left for good.

It was BP Gregory on Facebook who commented on my post saying I was reading this, that “this is one of those stories where I really enjoy the moment I go from ‘hell yeah I’d totally survive this’ to ‘oooh boy I really really wouldn’t.’ (Saying that, I would survive. For a bit. I like the cold. It’s the running. I’m not built to run!)

That statement is bang on true. Between the apparently never ending onslaught of membranous creatures, to the non-stop deluge of snow, to the realization that life will never be the same, Hawkins has crafted an absolutely despondent story filled with glimpses of hope that get snatched away in the blink of an eye.

What I didn’t like: If you haven’t figured it out yet I loved this story. Saying that, there was one thing I noticed that kind of made me shake my head, but then just let the story go and not look to deep into it. Suspension of belief let’s call it.

It’s summer. It randomly snows. A LOT. But some how the characters end up with appropriate clothing to keep them warm enough to survive? I don’t know if that’s an English/UK thing, but here in Canada (where it gets cold!) we typically pack all our winter gear away during the summer months. Minor, but noticeable.

Why you should read it: ‘Bird Box.’ ‘The Silence.’ ‘A Quiet Apocalypse.’ In the last little bit, we’ve been blessed with some truly stunning survival horror stories where things arrive and humans try to remain living. ‘The Cold’ easily slots alongside these and should take it’s place as one of the best snow based horror stories. This was action from page one and never let up. I heard rumblings that a sequel may arrive at some point, and I’d be completely up for that. Keep in mind that salvation most likely will never come. Much like we see in the BPRD comics, when the sky cracks and the beasts arrive, the only option is to stay alive for as long as you can. There’s no going back.

5/5

Book Review: Scratches by Joshua Marsella

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Title: Scratches

Author: Joshua Marsella

Release date: May 11, 2020

I can’t even remember how long ago I connected with Mr. Marsella on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook. A few years I think? Joshua has always been super supportive and encouraging towards a number of up and coming authors and when he announced his debut novella, I was so excited for him. It is a daunting task to not only write something, but then take the time and care to get a cover and click publish.

Once the book is out into the wild, you get to sit back and see what other people thought of your ideas that were banging around in your head.

What I liked: ‘Scratches’ will either excite you or it won’t. I don’t say that negatively. I say that because the story centers around a family that inherits a house that has a malevolent entity. This trope has been done a lot over the years and for some readers, mileage may vary. Add in the familial issues, both past and present and at times it’ll feel a bit like you’ve already read some of this.

Marsella does a great job of building tension. The crux of the story is that after the mother and son move into her grandfathers house, after he dies, Connor, the boy, decides to move his room to the basement. A place his mother refuses to go.

The reader knows that our grandfather fell down the stairs and was found deceased at the bottom, but Connor doesn’t. Through this, Marsella keeps up the chills as Connor continually feels like something is watching him, or hearing odd noises.

As someone who had their room in the basement for all of their teen years, I got it. I practically ran to my room from the stairs every night and slept with my door locked. Parts of this book gave me the same heebie jeebies that ‘The Nightmare Room’ by Chris Sorensen did.

I particularly enjoyed how the grandfather’s back story played into the human side of the horror.

What I didn’t like: This will sound harsher than I want it too, but Marsella didn’t reinvent the wheel here. For the most part, it is a straight forward ‘inherited haunted house’ story. He does do it well for his first release, but as I mentioned before, readers mileage may vary.

I personally didn’t enjoy a single interaction between mother and son. For the mother to know her grandfather was such a horrible human, it felt a bit forced that she continually turned a blind eye to every issue Connor brought up.

Lastly – I found the ending to be very abrupt. There was no real reveal of a how or why, just a ‘boom!’ done and then an epilogue. Maybe there is more planned to try and fill in the why, but as is, the ending is a bit jarring.

Why you should buy this: Overall, I had a fun time with this. It’s a quick read filled with creeps and when we learn more about the grandfather you’ll be nicely repulsed. If you dig haunted house reads, especially this time of year (nearing Halloween for those reading this review during the other parts of the year!), then this’ll fit in nicely.

Marsella has intrigued me to see where he goes next. Can’t wait to see what other worlds he’ll conjure!

3/5

Book Review: The Lost Memories of Freddy Frehling

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Title: The Lost Memories of Freddy Frehling

Author: James Newman

Release date: January 18, 2020

Why the heck didn’t I read this sooner?

James Newman is a fantastic writer. He’s crafted some of the best works of fiction I’ve read and whether on his own, or when co-authoring with other stunning writers, I’ve always loved the emotions that are packed into his releases. We never get “just a story,” instead we live and feel what the characters do.

Maybe that is why I haven’t read this yet? My own struggle with relationships with older relatives?

Either way, when this was announced I pre-ordered it.

But then, recently I traded signed Newman books with Steve Thompson, a Newman fan in his own right. I sent him a Newman book that he didn’t have signed, and he sent me a signed copy of this one.

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So, that was settled. I knew, no matter how sad this one was, I needed to dive into it.

What I liked: First off, Richard Chizmar opens this with a really nice foreword. I normally wouldn’t mention the foreword, but Richard did such a nice job of summing up the struggle many of us are going through. We get to a point where we begin to question whether our memories of childhood were what we believed they were.

‘The Lost Memories of Freddy Frehling’ is heartbreaking. Set in a world where superheroes exist, we follow to older siblings dealing with their father. He’s had a fall, hit his head while in extended care, and dementia has begun. That alone would be enough to get the water works started, but as things progress we learn more about Freddy’s past.

Newman weaves such a succinct, soul-crushing story into a short page count that I was shocked it was over so soon. This was the perfect 30 pages. We get 400 pages of story, background and all, but the emotional impact will last for many, many years. This one is on the opposite side of the spectrum from his release ‘Odd Man Out,’ but still packed such a wallop.

What I didn’t like: Honestly, the only annoyance I had was the character that was the son. His sarcastic take on things was definitely meant as a coping mechanism to protect himself and Freddy, but it reminded me a lot of a family member and it just ground my gears!

Why you should buy this: James Newman is one of the best writers out there. No matter what subject matter he tackles, he delivers a stunning story and you’ll always connect.

I can’t thank Steve enough for sending me a signed copy of this. I did read my Kindle version, as the chapbook is now slotted nicely on my signed book shelf!

This was an easy 5 star read and one I hope more people discover!

5/5

Book Review: The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

 

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Title: The Luminous Dead

Author: Caitlyn Starling

Release date: April 2, 2019

I remember when I saw ‘The Luminous Dead’ on Netgalley. I had recently read ‘The Last Astronaut’ and when I saw the cover I was drawn to this, excited to read another similarly themed book (to a degree.)

Sadly, as with a number of books on Netgalley, this was unable to be requested, so I patiently waited until it was released and snagged it. It slowly made it’s way up my TBR as I watched more and more people rave about it. I watched as it was nominated for the Bram Stoker award for best first novel.

And then, there it was! Top of my TBR. I dove in (which if I was in the book would’ve been frowned upon) and truthfully, I struggled.

What I liked: ‘The Luminous Dead’ follows Gyre (which I still can’t figure out how to pronounce!) who has been selected to navigate a deep cave system. The book is set in the future, so Gyre has been surgically fused/infiltrated by the suit, which means it operates on a battery and eating is simply a function now, where she inserts a canister into the feeding port and voila, food in her belly.

At first there is little interaction between Gyre and the team that is watching over her from somewhere above. We soon find out her ‘team’ is simply one person – Em, and from there Starling begins a plot point of distrust and fear between our two characters. I enjoyed a lot of the back and forth between these two. At times, it borders on a romantic link, which continues throughout the rest of the book. 

The cave itself acts as a majestic character, one that is home to these mysterious grub-like creatures, referred only to as Tunnelers. Because of this, the cave isn’t a solid set piece, instead, it often changes which made for some great tension as well as breaking up some of the monotony that started to happen half-way through.

The ending was a thrill-a-second finale, which kept me up longer than I wanted to, but was necessary, as there was no way I was going to fall asleep not knowing what happened.

What I didn’t like: I’ve seen a lot of people mention how claustrophobic and dread-filled the story was, and honestly I personally didn’t find either of those feelings anywhere. I did find chapter upon chapter that just felt unnecessary. I think the constant back and forth between Em and Gyre and Gyre’s distrust and anger towards Em and some of the decisions she’d made previously (staying spoiler free – so that’s all I can say!) became tedious and slowed the progression down. If this had been a novella length read, I think for my reader’s brain it would’ve been superb, but instead this never once had me riveted until the very end.

Why you should buy it: This one is a great study on relationships and one thing Starling did phenomenally was to create a lot with a little. This is essentially a novel with three characters: Em, Gyre and the cave. Other characters pop up here and there regarding back story etc, but otherwise Starling crafted a dramatic/border-line romance piece set in an immense sprawling cave system. If that sounds like a book you’d like to read, get on it!

3/5

Book Review: Tethered: A novella-in-flash by Ross Jeffery

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Title: Tethered: A novella-in-flash

Author: Ross Jeffery

Release date: June 1st, 2020

Over the last few years I’ve had a front row seat watching Ross develop his writing. Through ‘Juniper’ and ‘Tome’ Ross has created two great pieces of dark, post apocalyptic fiction, with the third book in the trilogy coming soon.

‘Tethered’ was, from the outset, a book I was hesitant to read. Not because it’s not a ‘horror’ book or because I believed it to be bad. Purely because, as a newer father (my son just turned four) and someone who has a gruffer dad myself, I wasn’t sure if I was emotionally up for a dark dive into a strained father-son relationship.

What I liked: Told through short, quick vignettes, ‘Tethered’ is a stunning piece of fiction. We are there at the beginning, as a child is abandoned, only to grow up and become a dad. His own history of having no father is embedded deep within his soul, so just how can he be a good dad when he himself never experienced that? The chapters/pieces flip back and forth, between the father’s POV and the son’s POV, focusing on key moments throughout their lives. Ross doesn’t hold back, making both characters equally likable and dis-likable. We see how through time and situations their relationship soars and sours and I loved how this was a ‘warts-and-all’ look at interpersonal relationships.

Emotionally, this book has it all. Happiness, sorrow and everything in between. I read this in one sitting and found that the flow of the narrative was such that when the book ended I was surprised I’d read it so quickly.

Ross is such a natural storyteller and ‘Tethered’ shows just how talented he is, even when not writing something with horror-darkness attached. He did justice to a drama-filled piece that I normally wouldn’t find myself that engaged with.

What I didn’t like:  This was more personal than anything, but as someone who has been analyzing their own parent-child relationship over the last twenty years, there are moments in here that felt like a band-aid being ripped off. Some people may find that parts of this are incredibly hard to read, but much like your favorite drama on TV, these moments are necessary to the story. But, seriously Ross, you jerk!

Why you should buy it: This is a stunning, brilliant piece of fiction that at times will read like an autobiography to some of you. Ross has done a fantastic job of really capturing the father-son dynamic and it was a joy (even though incredibly hard to stomach at times) to come along for the ride.

If you are looking for a quick, character driven story that follows two great characters look no further. ‘Tethered’ was outstanding.

5/5

Book Review: Scattered Little Pieces by Wayne Fenlon

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Title: Scattered Little Pieces

Author: Wayne Fenlon

Release date: September 2, 2020

Ahhhh, drabbles. Hello, my old friend.

When I started writing, I was rejected time and time again. My first acceptance? You guessed it! A drabble to ‘100 Word Horrors Volume 3’ by Kevin Kennedy. I love the drabble form. 100 words to tell as much of a complete story as possible. I even released a collection of drabbles and poems myself.

As for the author? Well, a few years back Edward Lorn connected myself with Wayne Fenlon. I don’t recall why, most likely Wayne and I were giving E the gears on a Twitter post, but ever since we’ve connected Wayne has been a great supporter and very encouraging. When this was announced yesterday, I dove onto Amazon and read it last night.

What I Liked: For me, the beauty of a drabble is when the flash piece sticks the landing. Wayne does that time and time again in these quick stories. We get some fantastic philosophical pieces about parenthood and fatherhood, as well as some gore-filled splatter stories that will make you smile. Wayne tossed a wide net here for plot inspiration and seldom did this steer him wrong.

I’m not sure how Wayne decided on the ordering for the stories, but in a lot of them  you can see a writer becoming more and more confident with the words they’ve chosen and the way the story has been told.

With only 100 words at his disposal, I loved the tales that felt infused with enthusiasm, the ones that I could picture Wayne laughing out loud when he typed THE END after.

What I didn’t like: In a collection of stories this short and with this many drabbles, some are bound to miss the mark. The only thing I found that began to become a bit of a pattern was the use of ‘Later,’ in a number of drabbles. In some it almost became the same opt out as ‘and then they woke up and it was just a dream.’ Minor for sure, but something I noticed.

Why you should buy this: Wayne really did craft some truly bleak shorts here. I loved how dark he went in some places, but also how introspective others were. The poems were a nice touch and they had a musical quality to them. Wayne is a great supporter of Indie Horror and it was my pleasure to grab this and read it. I think this may surprise a lot of people with how well done these are, as Wayne seemingly dropped this as a surprise release.

If none of that has convinced you, then here’s one last pitch;

Haven’t you ever wondered about Andy from Toy Story? A very vague question for sure, but one that Wayne answers.

4/5

Book Review: Abyss by Darren Gallagher

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Title: Abyss

Author: Darren Gallagher

Release date: April 13, 2018

First off, right from square one, an apology to Darren. I connected with Darren a while ago over on Instagram and at one point had mentioned to him that I was about to start reading ‘Abyss’ and to watch for my review…

That was probably a year ago and I am truly sorry. Books stacked up, time sensitive reviews came through and bingo-bango-bongo (Vancouver Canuck fans in the early 2000’s would finish that off with ‘hey Roberto Luongo’ FYI!) it got pushed back.

But now we’re here and I’ve read it and here’s the review!

I’ve mentioned before that I’m running on fumes for collections and anthologies. I’ve read A LOT of both of these the last few years, but that won’t ever sway me from diving into one. I love having short fiction on the go, it makes for a great break up from the longer reads.

What I liked: ‘Abyss’ features 13 short stories of varying length that show off Gallagher’s easy-to-read writing. He has created some stellar stories in the collection and for people who love to read short fiction that covers a broad variety of darker narratives, this one has something for everyone.

Standouts for me were ‘The Man in the Mist’ which started off with a simple car ride, only for the main character to go completely bonkers. ‘The Other Fountain’ which was a really great folklore horror story, and ‘The Foyle,’ which was an amazing story of a father and son who go fishing, only to end up fighting to survive.

The highlight and absolute gem in the entire collection is the opener. ‘The Silence of Music’ was a stunning piece of Lovecraftian fiction without being overtly the same. If you recall Lovecraft’s story ‘The Music of Erich Zann,’ we are introduced to a young man who moves into an apartment complex. He hears strange music and is drawn to it.

Very similar plot to ‘The Silence of Music.’ In this story, Gallagher introduces us to a character who moves into a new place. Randomly, one night, they look out of their window and see a strange figure standing in the streetlight. From there, Darren really created a beauty of a story.

What I didn’t like: A few of the tales in this collection were a bit longer than I felt necessary, and with most collections, some I loved and some missed the mark. That happens in each collection.

Why you should buy this: As I’ve always said, I always hope that one new person will buy a book I’ve reviewed from a new-to-them author, and I think Darren Gallagher would be a great new author for people to discover. His writing is smooth and the stories are a ton of fun. The collection hums along and if you are a quick reader, you very well may be able to get through this in a single sitting.

4/5

Book Review: Always Judge a Book By It’s Cover by Morton R. Leader

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Title: Always Judge a Book By It’s Cover

Author: Morton R. Leader

Release date: March 9th, 2020

At some point recently, I connected with Morton on Twitter. Morton kindly snagged a bunch of my free ebooks when offered a few weeks back, but it was when they replied to my sarcastic 1 star post about my book ‘Ritual’ that they just wished to see some reviews of their book, my reviewer heartstrings were delicately plucked and I grabbed a copy of their book.

I’ll be very honest here and say that this book is very rough around the edges. I didn’t see any mention or acknowledgement of an editor and at times this shines through to an extreme degree.

What I liked: The story follows Jenny, grieving for the death of her grandmother, who has left her her house. When some yard work is needed to be done, she hires a man to come get some of it finished and they connect.

It’s at this point that a lot of the book will either connect with the reader or go off the rails. They discover that Jenny’s grandma was a witch and accidentally find out that they can switch bodies, which leads to them getting it on while inhabiting the other persons body etc. Parts of this were good fun, parts of it were sophomoric and cringe worthy.

Morton does have an ease with which they write, and the story flows along well for the most part.

What I didn’t like: For me, personally, the book went of the rails with the body swapping. I’m open to reading about anything (just check my browser history), but it became a bit repetitive. This very well could have been a unique plot point used to further the story, but I just found it bogged it down.

I think Morton can definitely improve on refining a lot of what was happening here and there is big time potential with the meat of this story, once passed through the eyes of a few more beta readers and an editor.

*For those reading this – I am not going to mention the cover of the book for a book with this title. There may very well be a reason for it specifically or financially.

Why you should buy this: I won’t go into what happens after the body swapping starts, but safe to say, things keep taking a turn from there. I think if you’ve read the line that they swap bodies and explore things and that intrigues you, you’ll want to dive into it.

I’m excited to see just what Morton can come up with next and I think we’ll be seeing a writer working hard to improve their craft!

2.5/5

 

 

Book Review: REEK by Bradley Freeman

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Title: REEK

Author: Bradley Freeman

Release date: August 21, 2014

Can’t believe I’m going to start a review by saying this (and I know he’ll print it and screenshot it blah blah blah!) but David Sodergren – YOU WERE RIGHT.

You see, ever since I became friends with Mr. Sodergren, author of such fantastic books ‘The Forgotten Island,’ ‘Night Shoot’ and ‘Dead Girl Blues,’ David has been telling me to read ‘REEK.’ At one point it was probably every other day, then weekly. But it would always be so casual. “Oh, hey, wow, I see you read another thirteen books last week, was one of them REEK?”

So, here we are. I finally got to it in my TBR. At the same time I started this, I saw the amazing Char was reading it and I was excited to see her thoughts. Spoiler alert – she had a blast.

I will admit, at one point late last year, I was a bit put off by reading so many ‘abandoned island’ books, but after taking a break from them, ‘REEK’ was the perfect re-introduction.

What I liked: ‘REEK’ has a very straight forward premise. Former famed director Kojima is trying to return to greatness. He has an idea, that will surely be a blockbuster. So, he gathers a group of unsuspecting people to come to an old abandoned island to film a documentary. You see, Pokere Island is said to be haunted and Kojima plans to film a ghost.

From that simple idea, Freeman delivers a gore-filled story. There are a number of characters in this, but instead of being overwhelmed by the volume, Freeman deftly introduces them, creates great interpersonal relationships and as the story unfolds, fills in their back story’s and why each person is experiencing what they are.

The island itself plays a smaller role than I expected, as it was more the haunted inhabitants that inflict damage, but the isolation and mythology that’s been built around it are fantastic and work well to create havoc when the chances of rescue occur.

Bradley really created some outstanding deaths in here. We’re talking top of the line video game carnage. For readers who love vivid descriptions going over all of the gruesome details, you won’t be disappointed.

What I didn’t like: Incredibly minor, but I found no reason for the police officers back story to come about. It felt forced a bit, as though he absolutely needed a reason for his actions, but I really didn’t see why we needed to have any of those details. It really doesn’t detract at all, but felt unnecessary.

Why you should buy it: Well, I mean, has Sodergren been messaging you all the time? If so – buy it. Shut him up! Ha! Otherwise, for the rest of you, Freeman has an incredibly easy writing voice to allow the reader to fall into the story. It flows and the book has short, snappy chapters. Freeman makes sure to give this book a ton of emotion, which in turns gives us some great moments and heartbreaking punch as things go from bad to worse.

If you like found footage movies and found footage books, the premise here should really appeal to you, as well, if you love the abandoned island plot, you can’t go wrong.

5/5