Steve Stred's Blog, page 82

Book Review: Mister Jack by Chris Kosarich

[image error]

Title: Mister Jack

Author: Chris Kosarich

Release date: October 12, 2018

I read ‘Roseblood’ from Chris last year and enjoyed it. Recently, I saw he was looking for reviewers for his upcoming release ‘Night of the Pumpkin God.’ I’ve always been a big fan of Halloween based folklore stories, see: ‘Dead Leaves’ by Kealan Patrick Burke, so I reached out.

At the start of ‘Night of the Pumpkin God’ there is a note that recommends you read ‘Mister Jack’ first, so I dove in and read it last night.

What I liked: This novella is a fast read. The story picks up on Halloween night. The local high school has a tradition – head to the old house on the outskirts of town, said to be the home of a witch, and egg it and toilet paper it. Snap a few pictures and you are adored by the students. It’s a straight forward premise and the beauty of Halloween horror is that the idea to get people into situations doesn’t change all that much. But, like most great Halloween stories, it’s what the author does from there that will set the story apart from the others.

I really loved the flow of this book and Kosarich crafts an excellent story. The three students end up meeting ‘the witch,’ an old woman who relishes her branding. She then tells the story of ‘Mister Jack,’ and this is where the narrative really takes off. It had me riveted and while you know at some point the hellish pumpkin headed fiend that is pictured on the cover will arrive, you really have no idea when.

What I didn’t like: This one is a short read, so some folks may long for a bit more lead in or action time. I found the pacing was spot on, but for the reader out there who really longs for the 400 pager, this may feel a bit rushed.

Why you should buy it: I mean, come on! Look at that cover. If you love Halloween folklore this thing is fantastic and you have two options here. You can purchase it on it’s own, which would allow you to have immediate access, or you can pre-order ‘Night of the Pumpkin God’ which includes this novella. I’ve included both links below, so decide which way you want to proceed, but either way, this is one I think you should definitely buy!

Now to dive into ‘Night of the Pumpkin God.’

5/5

 

Book Review: Night Train by David Quantick

[image error]

Title: Night Train

Author: David Quantick

Release date: July 7th, 2020

 

‘Night Train’ by David Quantick was not on my radar at all, until I saw Tony Jones comment on a Twitter thread or Facebook post that he was reading it and was really enjoying it.

I jumped onto Netgalley to take a look and was intrigued by the cover, the synopsis but also the endorsement by Neil Gaiman. I was a bit worried about requesting it through Netgalley, as I’d been turned down more times than approved, so I kept my hopes low. When I got the notification that I had been approved, I was so excited! I dove into this one right away.

What I liked: ‘Night Train’ is just that – a locomotive out of control, barrelling down the tracks. This book was equal parts ‘Snowpiercer’ and ‘1984.’ We are introduced to a woman, who awakens on a train. She has no idea how or why she is there and is even unsure of who she is. From there Quantick creates a truly engrossing and engaging claustrophobic story. I couldn’t stop reading this one. Usually I have five or six books on the go, but once I started this one, I had to read it before anything else. I wanted to know just what the heck was going on, who these characters were and as we begin to learn more and more about the back story, the world outside of the train and speed towards the finale, I was pulled in harder and harder.

Quantick has an Emmy win for his work on ‘Veep’ which means a lot of this is dialogue driven, which worked really well. The banter between the three characters that are ultimately introduced was fantastic and made them that much more relatable, especially as their individual back stories are shared.

The train itself, while not fully a character as the setting, also brings an added element. Truthfully, I sometimes get turned off by stories purely centered on action on trains, simply because that’s it, there is nowhere else to go, but Quantick quickly dispelled any reservations I had.

Lastly, the things that are encountered on the various train cars are fantastic and with the way this book ended, I sure hope we get a follow up.

What I didn’t like: One thing this book is lacking is ‘definitive answers.’ Ultimately, I think this will be the thing that will sway a reader whether they loved this book or it wasn’t for them. I ate it up, but that was the biggest thing I kept repeating to myself – I wanted just a bit more information, a bit more definition or details.

Why you should buy this: Titan Books continue to put out some truly stunning works and ‘Night Train’ is another fantastic addition. This book was thoroughly engrossing and as mentioned before, I simply couldn’t put it down. The characters were great and the dystopian/apocalyptic world outside of the train was mesmerizing. This was a winner from page one all the way until the end.

5/5

Book Review: Bleak Precision by Greg Chapman

[image error]

Title: Bleak Precision

Author: Greg Chapman

Release date: June 12, 2020

 

Greg Chapman is a fantastic author, artist and illustrator. Many people know Greg as much for his cover work as they do with his writing, which makes it just as exciting when he decides to release a project like this.

‘Bleak Precision’ is a self released chapbook that Greg has created. Featuring eight stories, an essay and artwork, this is a stunning showcase of all of Greg’s talents.

What I liked: I’m a massive fan of Greg’s work and his novel ‘Netherkind’ is one of my all-time favorite releases. This showcases the variety of ways Greg is able to deliver his stories and it is a prime way for people to check out his work. The stand outs for me were ‘Kakophony’ and ‘Mongrels.’ The illustrations in this are amazing and with the knowledge that a comic book is on it’s way, is very exciting.

I also really enjoyed the included essay that had originally appeared over at Ink Heist. Always great to see a writer’s thoughts on ‘dark’ and ‘bleak.’

What I didn’t like: Well, frankly, something like this is a labor of love and I wouldn’t feel right critiquing it. Saying that, as with any short story collection, I wished for more with many of them, especially ‘Mongrels’ being a fan of that specific genre big time!

Why you should buy it: Usually at the end of my reviews, whether here or over on Kendall Reviews, you’ll find a buy link. This one is different. This can only be purchased by emailing Greg directly. You send him the funds, he emails you the digital book and it’s a win win – author gets paid, reader gets book. In this case, that is the very reason you should buy it. Greg is one of the truly stand-out nice guys in the Horror community and this is a very simple way of connecting direct with the author/artist and receiving a very cool chapbook.

To get your copy, email Greg! He can be reached at greg@darkscrybe.com or you can DM him through any of his social media channels!

5/5

 

 

Book Review: Clownflesh by Tim Curran

[image error]

Title: Clownflesh

Author: Tim Curran

Release date: May 31, 2019

 

At the end of 2019, Pete from Bloodshot Books sent me a list of 6 or 7 books he was wondering if I was interested in reviewing. Truthfully, I didn’t even read their synopsis’. Pete releases such high quality stuff and Bloodshot Books has always been super kind to me and thinking of me for possible reviews, so I took them all. After reading ‘Clownflesh’ I have one left from that batch!

I’d not read Tim Curran before, but he was always an author that people would recommend I check out. I do remember seeing the cover for this when it was announced and even back then it really didn’t strike me as one I thought was ‘yah’ or ‘meh.’

Having now read the book, the cover fits the story perfectly.

What I liked: This is a book that will either absolutely work for you or you’ll hate it from the get go. You’ll know within the first few chapters. How will you know? Well, the synopsis is this: Craw Falls, South Dakota gets slammed by a snow storm. As night descends murderous clowns sprout from the shadows and darkness to kill everyone as viciously as possible. That really is it. So, just how will you know if this will work for you? When you start reading this and you get to the first moment where a person realizes the thing stalking them and is about to murder them is a clown, you’ll either be scared out of your shell or you’ll start laughing. If you are scared, the rest of the book is such an amazing full-throttle, rock ’em sock’em thrill ride that you’re in for a treat. If you laugh… the rest of the book is going to come off lame and you just won’t enjoy it like you would if Curran was creeping you the hell out.

I loved how this book unfolded. I was extremely unnerved from page one. Something about a jingling sound in the distance, the wind carrying a stench, something moving and coming closer to a lone person in the snow – exhilarating. And Tim does it over and over and over again.

What I didn’t like: As much as I loved this story, it isn’t without some minor faults. Firstly, we get introduced to a man specifically in town to kill the clowns. Clegg is then locked up and for the majority of the book he remains in his cell, until finally released near the end. I felt a bit let down at the carnage he could’ve unleashed had he been re-introduced a bit earlier. Secondly, there really is no back story or ‘reason’ behind why the clowns have arrived. I was expecting a glorious mythology about them, but nothing.

Why you should buy it: Well, did you read the synopsis? I mean, killer clowns? If that at all interests you then this is a must buy! Otherwise, this features some truly cringe-worthy moments, some amazingly graphic deaths and Curran never lets up, not even at the explosive finale. I’m glad I didn’t pass on this one now. What a fun ride.

4/5

Book Review: The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

[image error]

Title: The Ballad of Black Tom

Author: Victor LaValle

Release date: February 16, 2016

“For H.P. Lovecraft, with all my conflicted feelings.”

I got this ebook a while back, when Tor had it as a free ebook of the month. I added it to my long list of books on my TBR and it slowly made its way up the list as I made my way through them.

I think I’ve done a decent job of reading diversely. I know for a fact I read A LOT of Women Horror authors, that has always been something I strive to do. But POC authors? Probably not good enough.

I will readily and unashamedly admit, I bumped this from 15th on my TBR list (yes, I have my books ordered and numbered!) to start reading this after the horrific and world changing events of George Floyd. As the Horror community rallied around our fellow POC authors and people shared photos and stacks of books to read by them (myself included) I knew I needed to do more than just share a photo.

‘The Ballad of Black Tom’ accomplishes a rare feat. We in the Horror world know just how horrible of a person HP Lovecraft was. There is a big disconnect between the mythos he created and the human he was. I remember reading some Lovecraft growing up and rereading some recently, and while I enjoy his worlds, I hate his writing. I struggle to get into it and I drop interest quickly.

Thankfully, there are a number of authors who write within that mythos incredibly well and whose writing I enjoy! So, I can get my weird gods fix and enjoy those books.

Victor LaValle, from what I’ve read online, grew up reading Lovecraft, but as a person of color, when he discovered Lovecraft’s views, he was conflicted. Like many people, he looked past the views and focused on the writing.

But then at some point, LaValle decided to take back some of Lovecraft’s mythos and make it his own, and much like the epigraph that starts this book (which I shared at the top) LaValle dove in.

What I liked: ‘The Ballad of Black Tom’ starts off by following Tommy Tester, a black man in New York at the start of the 19th Century. He is chosen by a rich man to come perform at his mansion and from there the reader gets introduced to some of the great Old Ones.

I’ve seen a few reviews state this and I’ll echo it – LaValle does Lovecraft better than Lovecraft ever did. There are some scenes in here that are completely unnerving and will creep you right out. The character of Ma Att is one such entity that will grab you and make you want to shower after you read a few of her moments.

The second part of the book follows Malone, a detective. This worked really well to see the subtle nods between the first and second half of the book, but also to understand the glamour or shimmer that the Secret Alphabet has placed on those outside of the inner circle.

What I didn’t like: While LaValle does Lovecraft amazingly, I personally wished there was just a bit more creatures featured. We get some great descriptions, but I wanted to see so much more!

Why you should buy it: LaValle writes with such efficient prose that this book hummed along. The characters and events are engaging and the use of the Old Ones was perfect. This would have been an easy one-sitting read if I didn’t have 6 other books on the go! Saying all of that, now is a time for us to support and read more diverse authors and LaValle is one of the masters of the genre. I have ‘The Changeling” from his as well, which I will be pushing up my TBR asap.

This was a stunning piece and I loved every second of it.

5/5

 

Book Review: The Midwives by Duncan Ralston

[image error]

Title: The Midwives

Author: Duncan Ralston

Release date: February 24th, 2020

 

Duncan Ralston is a name many horror readers are familiar wife, and most have read a few of his releases by now. In 2019, Ralston up the game with promotional pushes for his stellar release ‘Ghostland.’ A follow up to that book, which landed on many “Best Of” lists and has already been announced that a sequel is in the works would be daunting on the best of days. But Ralston dove into it head first and eagerly shared the cover from esteemed artist Francois Vaillancourt.

Once that image hit the horror community the excitement level began to increase.

What I liked: The story follows one Marty Savage, true-crime writer extraordinaire. He had a string of hits, but his best know work was ‘Witch Hunter,’ which was an embellished version of serial killer Barclay. When Barclay escapes and begins killing his way towards Savage, wanting revenge, Savage and his friend Sheila, who was a psychiatrist on the case flee to the remote town of Barrows Bay – where Savage grew up.

Duncan did a fantastic job of diving into the deep end immediately. We get to see that Savage is a bit of a scumbag, preying on easy female targets at book signings and living a bachelor life of debauchery. We get to see his character go through a transformation story arc throughout and it was satisfying to watch that happen. Sheila is a strong female character, many times the reality grounder to Marty’s sarcastic laissez-faire attitude.

The midwives of Barrows Bay made for a great group to create the necessary “good versus evil” set up that a folk thriller like this needed and I loved the back story that Ralston sprinkled throughout.

The ending was done really well and there were several things left a bit open for the possibility of a sequel. I would love to read more, especially seeing how we never really get any conclusion with a discovery on the beach or with the main detective.

Lastly, Barrows Bay itself worked as a very engaging character. While technically the setting, a place such as this has its own pulse, its own rhythm and Duncan made sure to amplify that when needed and make it undulate to shift the story as warranted.

What I didn’t like: A story like this, with a larger ensemble cast of secondary characters can sometimes create issues with remembering who is who. Ralston didn’t have that issue, instead making sure each moving piece had a purpose for being there. Saying that, the main reason for Savage and Sheila for going to Barrows Bay, Barclay, at one point almost became an afterthought and I found it was a long stretch before he re-entered the fray. I would’ve love just a touch more of his own journey to track down the duo, but I do understand the necessary space filled with Barrows Bay happenings.

Why you should buy it: Ralston is not only one of the best writers in the horror genre, creating lush landscapes layered with depth and gore, but he’s also one of the nicest guys in the field and one of the most supportive. ‘The Midwives’ is a horrific book and if you are wanting a dark read where things get revealed over time while you still are dealing with what just happened, then look no further.

As I mentioned at the beginning – a follow up to a book like ‘Ghostland’ can be tough, but Duncan stepped up to the plate and knocked it out of the park.

5/5

That’s a wrap.

[image error]

Here we are.

I can’t believe the month is over. It’s actually gut wrenching for me.

Look, you may sit on the other side and say “so what dude, it’s over.” But for me, this was so much more. This was a guy from a town of less than 100 people discovering an author and actually connecting with that author. This was a guy who decided to show the world why he loves these books so much, in the hopes that others discover them as well. Hell, this was a guy who actually has interviewed his favorite author THREE times now. Who has all of his books signed and personalized.

It’s a feeling I really can’t explain in words, even though, for some of you out there, you read my own writing and believe I’m half decent.

For those who are reading this. Just know, that every single time Andrew Pyper has liked any of my posts, shared them or commented on them, it’s a dream come true. That may sound insanely overboard, but when I first spotted ‘The Demonologist’ all those years ago, I never once believed that it would grow to the ability to celebrate Andrew’s work this much.

So, I’m going to stop gushing. Or will try.

May has come and gone. In a very trying time in this world. Books have always been a salvation for mankind when strife hits. I hope you have an author who fills that spot in your readers soul, like Andrew does mine.

What did we do together this month? I managed to cobble together a retrospective on each of Andrew’s releases. Posted reviews of all but two, simply because it has been far too long since I’d read them. Had a fantastic guest review from my friend Jennifer Sullivan. Not one, but two interviews! Two!

And, as you’ve probably seen by now – an amazing contest, where Andrew will sign and personalize a copy of ‘The Demonologist’ to one lucky winner.

I’ll be creating a heading on my menu here on the site, so that all of the retrospectives, interviews and reviews will be easily find-able.

As I wrap this up, the inevitable question of what’s next rears its head. Three things are in the pipeline.

I plan on doing a celebration of J.H. Moncrieff. Her writing is stunning and she’s agreed to tackle an interview. So watch for that.
I also plan on doing a celebration of Duncan Ralston. He is also an amazing writing and he’s agreed to have me give him the gears as well.
What about next May? Well, I definitely can tell you that I’ll want to celebrate Andrew’s work again next year. If he’s willing (hint!) maybe we can see about doing another interview or an AMA or something. We got a year, I’ll get it sorted.

Lastly – I’ve had a few people message to ask about the order of my love of Pyper’s books. That’s a tough one, because I love them all. But for those curious, here is how I would order them from absolute fav to fav!

The Killing Circle
The Guardians
The Homecoming
The Only Child
The Wildfire Season
The Residence
The Demonologist
Lost Girls
The Damned
The Trade Mission

I won’t include the ‘Kiss Me’ collection, purely because of it being a very different focus, but I loved it as well.

To all those who have read, shared, liked and commented – thank you.

To Andrew – thank you.

To Andrew’s books – you’ll never know just how vital a part of my life you’ve been. Thank you for always being there when I needed you.

Until we meet again,

Steve

Book Review: The Killing Circle by Andrew Pyper

[image error]

Title: The Killing Circle

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release Date: January 1st, 2008

 

“People used to live in every empty house you’ve ever stood in, and this makes them no less empty.”

You can all call me a friggin’ fool. Permission granted.

At a point not too long ago, I only had ‘The Guardians’ and ‘The Killing Circle’ left to read by Andrew and I kept putting them off. Why? Because I was worried about possibly not liking them. I KNOW!

Know having finished them both, I deserve a smack to the head, as those two may very well be the two best books Pyper has written.

‘The Killing Circle’ is one of the most claustrophobic, terrifying and down-right exhaustive books I’ve ever read. As in, you’ll hold your breath the entire time reading it, you’ll flip each page desperately wanting to know what’s going to happen but scared to death about what just may arrive.

‘The Killing Circle’ was an emotional roller-coaster for me, both with the words written on the pages, but also because this represents the final frontier. The last unread book by my favorite author. And while this review is being featured on the second to last day of my PYPER-MAY-NIA, May long celebration of my love for Andrew’s works, if you’ve read his interview that I featured on May 1st, you’ll know that we most likely won’t be seeing anything new from Andrew until probably 2022. I’ll pause so we can all go dab our eyes.

What I liked: Pyper writes like only he can. Every single sentence is lush, glorious and serves a purpose. In ‘The Killing Circle’ we are introduced to Patrick Rush, dad to Sam, widower to Tamara, who is fatigued with his job and decides to try his hand at writing a book. He joins a writing circle, looking for a creative spark, and while there, inadvertently ends up a creek with no paddles.

What Pyper does from here is sheer madness. We get to live and breathe what Rush goes through, what he sees and experiences and as I mentioned in the intro – it’s horrifically stunning. The essence though, for me at least, was the life that Pyper infused into a character that at first you take for granted; the setting. The city. Toronto. Andrew lives where this is set and wow, does he make it a sparkling, gnarly aspect to every single thing that happens, every single minute detail described with minimal details but maximal effect. In all of Andrew’s releases, the setting plays a vital role, to the point where Iconsider him to be the best out there for this. Nothing is pushed aside or skimmed over, Pyper makes sure to gives us the smells, the feels, the experience.

‘A father and son used to live here.’

The book opens with an absolute bang, and when we circle around to catch up to those moments near the ending, you’ll be so far drawn into the madness that the ending completely caught me off guard. I was reading this in our car, in the garage, as my son at fallen asleep. When ‘the end’ arrived, I was bawling. The floodgates had opened and I had to turn around and look at him, just to ground myself in the real world.

What I didn’t like: Oh yeah, this part of my reviews. I typically work hard to find something I don’t like in my 5 star reviews, and even work harder when it’s Andrew, because only so much of my love affair with his words can be biased, yeah? I’m truly stumped here with this one. Everything was picture perfect. I adored this book, if that’s a statement you can make regarding the subject matter that is put forth.

Actually, scratch that – I remember something. Ramsay. The detective. Ohh, he ground me wrong. So yeah, the detective! Take that!

Why you should buy it: Really? OK. Well, you should buy it because it’s Andrew Pyper, of course, but if you like crime-thrillers/mysteries with the perimeter brushing of a supernatural read, you can’t go wrong here. One thing that actually caught me off guard, was when I came to the end of the book, read the thanks from the author note and then flipped the digital page – it had a list of Andrew’s books, from then. The sheer fact that this book was his release before ‘The Demonologist’ made me do a double-take. Insanity. Pyper does continue to get better and better, but do not ignore his back catalog. He has never released a poor book, and ‘The Killing Circle’ may just be the best book I’ve ever read. I’ll be pondering that statement for some time, that’s for sure.

Easy 5/5

The Circle closes…

[image error]

The Killing Circle was released in 2008.

And then there was one.

One book left, one post left. What a conclusion.

Tomorrow features a wrap-up, but this is the final retrospective.

I’d read them all. ‘The Killing Circle’ was the only one remaining. I’d conquered my demons and dove into ‘The Guardians’ and after I raved about it on Twitter, two or three others replied, saying ‘The Killing Circle’ was even better, and that I needed to get on it.

Yet, those strange old fears kept tugging at my readers brain. This one didn’t have a synopsis that I typically would be drawn to read. In fact, if Andrew’s name wasn’t on this one, I’d probably never have given it a second thought, let alone buy it on Kindle and in paperback.

A widower who hates his journalist job, joins a writing circle to see if he can finally write his novel. He struggles with the loss of his wife and with raising his son. But, this is Andrew. This is Mr. Pyper. Not all is how it seems and before long members of the writing circle begin to feel like they are being followed, as people around them disappear or are found dead.

When I finished ‘The Guardians’ I raved. I gushed. I told my wife how amazing it was and that I’d just read a novel so good, that I didn’t think anything would ever top it. I wanted to read it again right away, to go back and visit those characters.

But ‘The Killing Circle’ got its ferocious talons into my eyes and goddamn I don’t think I blinked or breathed once. It is absolutely suffocating. The tension is palpable, the anxiety to such another level that for those with claustrophobia, you’ll need to go read this in an open field under a sunny, cloud-free sky.

I hate to call this Andrew’s ‘magnum opus’ simply because he’s released so many stellar releases since, and even his books prior were amazing. But something about this book delivered on another level and when I sent Andrew the book specific questions, his answer told me why. This book is greatly autobiographical in terms of setting/location and while I’ve raved about how Andrew always does such an amazing job of elevating the location of each book and makes it into a character, this one went to another level. Each street has a pulse and a plot point and Andrew never lets up.

Since I finished reading this, two things have really stayed with me.

I should’ve waited to finish reading this to send the questions to Andrew! While the one question was great and thorough, I would easily substitute the question about the number 29 in a heart beat.
I can’t stop thinking about every aspect of this book. The beginning at the drive-in, the middle with the writing circle characters and the ending, far out in the middle of nowhere.

It’s a book that has left a scar on my readers psyche, a book that’ll long stay with me and one that I’ll be praising as a template for people to read when they want to feel pure terror.

How foolish of me now, to have had this fear for so long that I’d find a Pyper book I didn’t enjoy or love!?

‘The Killing Circle’ was the final nail in that coffin, a book so good, that I feel ashamed it was the last one of Andrew’s I read.

From book one to the very last, Andrew has created characters and worlds that I’ll be forever grateful for. Books that have helped me and got me through rough patches. Books that have taken me back twenty years and made me think of moments I’d long tucked away somewhere unseen.

When you find an author that feels like each book they are writing just for you, hold on to that author. Don’t be afraid of change or that a new book, or one you haven’t read yet may not connect with you. It will. Even if you don’t like it, they’ve still invited you into their world, so by all means, make sure to visit.

To think this is the last retrospective fills me with a bit of sadness. It’s been a really amazing journey through these books, and while I haven’t added all of the life events that have gone along with reading each book, just know that I have them jotted down on a word doc. Some have made me smile, while others have brought me to my knees. But it’s all been worth it. If even one person has purchased one of Andrew’s books because of any of these posts, I’ve done my job. And thank you.

I have one more post scheduled for tomorrow –  a wrap up post. But for all intents and purposes, this is the end.

I don’t know what next May looks like. I’d hope to find some way to celebrate again. Maybe not to the depths and extent of this years, but I’ll think of something.

So, to Andrew Pyper – THANK YOU.

To every one who has read these, liked them, shared them and commented on them – THANK YOU.

This has been the ride of my life.

Maybe, just like Andrew writing ‘The Killing Circle’ its felt like this because of how personal it has been?

Maybe?

 

Book Review Revisited – The Guardians by Andrew Pyper

(*This was originally posted on this site on April 1, 2020)

[image error]

Book Title: The Guardians

Author: Andrew Pyper

Release date: January 1st, 2011

“There was something wrong about a house people chose not to live in.”

Look, there really is no secret to my adoration of Andrew Pyper and his books. At this point the only two I haven’t read from him were ‘The Guardians’ and ‘Killing Circle.’ Why hadn’t I read them? Two reasons really – 1) Pyper is my grounding author. If I have no Pyper to read, what can I turn to when I’m struggling or in a slump? 2) God forbid, what if the unfortunate happened and for some reason I didn’t like one of them? I know, I know, probably not going to happen, but it’s a worry.

Then life hit. It’s a weird world we’re living in and with COVID-19 creating so much unknown and for many people a loss of enjoyment of normally enjoyable activities, reading has become a solitude for many.

For me – I went two days in a row without reading a book. That’s substantial. So, I decided to abandon my two current reads – and decided to dive into ‘The Guardians.’

I now really regret having waited so long to read this.

What I liked: This may very well be the first coming-of-age thriller/horror story I’ve read from a Canadian author, especially one of this magnitude (does The Troop count?). For me, Pyper is the best writer on the planet for a reason – every single sentence he writes is sublime, but he is always willing and capable of writing the gore-iest, scariest scenes out there. The book takes place in two time periods – Grade 11 in Grimshaw and present day aka 20 years later after the events in the past. We follow Trevor (Trev to his friends) as he returns to Grimshaw after a close high school friend dies. It is through the past and the present that we learn about the secret they kept from all those years ago, and how that secret created ripples through each of their lives until now.

Pyper crafted a gem here. In Canada the writing and pacing of this is akin to the show ‘Corner Gas’ or for the newer crowd ‘Letterkenny.’ This is small town Canada to a T. If you’ve grown up in the middle of nowhere you understand the phrase “Every small town has it’s secrets. Every small town also learns how to forget them.”

We get to see the relationships between the four friends, all members of the local hockey team ‘The Guardians’ and its through this friendship that unspoken things are agreed upon as only childhood closeness can allow.

I absolutely loved the ‘Memory Journal’ aspect that then lead into the present day going’s on. The book is filled with sorrow and despair at how things were and how they are now, but Pyper makes you connect with the characters, feel for them, but also desire to know just what happens.

What I didn’t like: It’s hard to sum up, but what I didn’t like was the main character Trevor and how much he reminded me of myself. Trevor left small town Grimshaw and owned a night club and was a big deal, according to him. He doesn’t want to go back, but he knows he must for his friend and to try and put closure on what happened all those years ago. I did a similar thing. For me, I longed and desired to leave where I grew up as fast as I could and for many, many years, I had my nose raised at those that stayed behind and never left. But who am I to judge? If they are happy, great. It’s their life. It took me many years to let myself let go of my snobbish views. So, reading how Trevor was acting and reacting reminded me a lot of my younger self. Uncomfortably so.

Why you should buy this:  This book is going to stay with me forever, really. The small town setting, the characters, the happenings. It was just a perfect read at a time I needed a perfect read. It was also one of the scariest, nerve rattling books I’ve read in some time. Every time we learned more about the Thurman house and what was going on there, it became creepier and creepier. Pyper did such a stunning job of crafting a heartfelt story that is interconnected by a phenomenal ghost story.

I now only have ‘The Killing Circle’ left to read from Pyper and I’m probably going to jump into that in the next day or two. I’ve tossed aside the notion that I may not enjoy it, because frankly, Pyper is the perfect author voice for this reader. Time and time again he’s answered this horror fans call with a stunning read and he did it once again here.

5/5