M.R. Gott's Blog, page 25

The Strain Guillermo Del Torro & Chuck Hogan

Overview;A Boeing 777 arrives at JFK with all windows shades pulled down and not sign of power.  When all the passengers seem to have died a call goes out to the CDC and Eph Goodweather arrives to try and determine what happened.  Review;The Strain by Guillermo Del Torro and Chuck Hogan is an incredibly strong book in places, but looses focus regularly.  Del Torro and Hogan create vivid atmospheres and addressing the idea of vampirism as a disease that can be studied is a unique tact for such a well used monster.  Eph Goodweather, Nora Martinez and Abraham Settrakian are terrific and well developed characters.  A sense of danger surrounds them and it is always good to see characters in a horror novel not taking every action to ensure they are monster fodder.That being said a number of characters are introduced for this purpose only and there are long drawn out sequences where I was simply waiting for a character to be killed off or turned.  These sequences could have worked well in a film, because they could have been shorter with clear jump points.  They break any building tension in this novel.  In the written form theses sequences just do not work. 
The story is intricate with a few great reveal moments as the outbreak moves through the city.  For anyone familiar with De Torro’s film works, Blade 2, Cronos or Mimic they are some very familiar elements that the vampires possess.  While I still appreciate this style I am a tad concerned Del Torro may be turning into Tim Burton.  While I still consider myself a fan of Burton, his unique and revolutionary visual elements are being recycled with very few new ideas being introduced.    
In the end;Del Torro and Hogan have created a very strong first novel in their Strain trilogy.  When they keep their focus on the intricate plotting and well developed characters the novel moves forward at an addictively lighting pace.  However this is often broken up by overly long sequences where we wade through to the inevitable demise of third and fourth tier characters.  

Staked by J.F. Lewis

Overview;  Eric is a vampire and Eric has problems.  His business is losing money.  His girlfriend want to become undead He can’t remember how he ended up killing a werewolf last night, and now the entire pack is out for vengeance. 
"Somewhere in the middle of my rant it occurred to me that I'd killed whoever it was I'd been yelling at, so arguing was no longer important."  
Review;  J.F. Lewis’ Staked is the first novel in the Void city series.  Staked shows much promise.  Eric is an interesting character because he is in no way a hero.  He is the protagonist of the story and much of the novel is told from his perspective.  Lewis does not waste time and effort trying to get his readers to consider Eric a good vampire, he merely is.  I loathe when authors try to justify their characters bad behavior and appreciate Lewis just letting Eric be.  The novel’s perspective shifts between Eric an older vampire and Tabitha a newly turned vampire.  This adds an interesting dynamic to the story as well as allowing Lewis to engage in a more natural world building.  The rules for Lewis’ vampires and werewolves very slightly from the traditional myths and as Tabitha discovers the rules, so do the reader.  The narrative follows Eric’s attempts to discover how he came to kill a werewolf while blacked out.  The mystery is very intricately conceived and laid out expertly.  With each reveal I was satisfied and at no point felt cheated by huge jumps in logic.  The fight sequences in Staked occur regularly and Lewis has a great ability to combine movement in some incredibly creative throw downs.  J.F. Lewis combines all these elements with a dark detached humor that is incredibly effective, bringing Void City to life. 
In the end;If you are in the mood for a great mystery with some great bloody supernatural throw downs this is the novel for you.  Eric and Tabitha are well conceived characters deserving a wide audience.        

Stuart Gordon's From Beyond

Stuart Gordon reunites with Jeffery Combs and Barbara Crampton for this Lovecraft adaptation. 





Click either image to watch. 

Kill The Dead Richard Kadrey

Overview;  James Stark has escaped from Hell and taken revenge against his killers, and now he has bills to pay.  He contracts himself out to both heaven and hell, and takes a job working as a body guard for Satan himself.
“I’m losing a lot of blood back here.”“If you were losing a lot of blood, you wouldn’t be able to talk, so feel free to bleed faster.”
Review;  Kill the Dead is the mostly successful follow up to Richard Stark’s incredible Sandman Slim.  James Stark aka Sandman Slim is equal parts Phillip Marlowe and Eric Draven.  Where the first novel had a clear sense of purpose as Stark investigated his death and systematically killed the guilty parties, Kill the Dead starts without a sense of focus or tension.  Stark is a nearly un-killable protagonist and when he is protecting Satan who cannot be killed, only embarrassed by the body he uses expiring there is a great lack of tension. 
Kadrey’s Satan also lacks any sense of menace or mischievousness.  The character reads like a bored immortal lamenting existence.  While there is a payoff for this behavior he was just irritating getting there.  The porn star/assassin Bridget Bardot is written with depth and has a clear character, however her role as a porn star (and why is it always pornstars never just a performer who never reached true stardom) is totally needless and has nearly no impact on the story at all.  Her set-up feels too much like an unrefined juvenile wet dream.  Also the name was distracting to me.   
What kept me reading though is Stark himself.  Kadrey has created a wonderfully realized character.  His sense of purpose, hopes and dreams are perfectly realized, not in simple declaratives but the actions he takes.  He talks like Marlowe and acts like Draven, if this isn't a selling point nothing will be.  
 Aelita as the lead angel for heaven is also a terrific character and works terrifically in contrast to Stark.  The rest of the supporting cast are also well realized and avoid the cliché trappings so easy to fall into in genre fiction. 
Despite its initial appearance of a lack of focus the last quarter of the book had me completely drawn in.  What seemed supercilious becomes important and as the novel progresses the story grows tighter and the reader clearly understands the meaning of everything that had transpired.   In the End;
Kill the Dead rewards the reader for sticking with it.  Stark is still a terrific character and Kadrey’s prose carries with it a unique and easily readable sense of identity.  While I am worried by some of the allusions of what is to come, I am encouraged that Kadrey has stated this series is on a six book arc and there is a clear point we are working to.  With this novel he has proven but seems a random stream of ideas can build to a clear and distinct end.      

Watch Phantasm and Phantasm II

Watch Phantasm



and Phantasm II




for free.  Click above or below for more. 

40% Off Where the Dead Fear to Tread at Books on Board

Where the Dead Fear to Tread is available from Books on Board at 40% off.  It's the perfect time to get the book Marc Nocerino of She Never Slept calls, "frantic, horrific, brutal, and without doubt the darkest thing I have read in years....After more than a week, I still find myself thinking about these characters, and the story itself, on a daily basis."
Dana Fredsti best selling author of Plague Town says Where the Dead Fear to Tread is, "one of the most disturbing and atmospheric things I've read in a long while"  Click above for access to the sale. 

Hop Against Homophobia

I was hesitant to join the hop against homophobia, not because I was hesitant to lend whatever support I can to addressing bigotry, but I did not want to seem like I was cashing in on hatred to sell books.  I thought about talking about the gay characters in my book, but it seemed inappropriate.  I considered cute antidotes of confronting bigots in college, but this is not an exercise to support my ego.  

What I will share are two simple statistics that are revolting.  In LA 25-35% of homeless teens are LGBT.  The reason they are homeless is that they have been thrown out of their homes, and disowned by those whose job it was to protect them and care for them unconditionally.  Keep in mind this is an LA number, an area of the country seen as more tolerant.   

An estimate in NYC places the number between 25-40%.  Again this seen as a more progressive and tolerant area.  Again these kids are homeless because they have been rejected by their families.  Now imagine the level of tolerance in a place like North Carolina.

I have no closing words of comfort or some clever encompassing argument. Please click the image above for more. 



Please feel free to comment below....   

Play Wolfenstein 3d for Free

In celebration of the 20 year anniversary, Wolfenstein 3d is available for free play.  Click either image to begin shooting Nazis like you did 20 years ago. 

American Psycho

The Book by Bret Easton Ellis is a remarkable character study and unflinching condemnation of self obsessed consumerism. 


The film is one of the sharpest satires and brutal comedies. 

Radio Interview by Marc Nocerino of She Never Slept of M.R. Gott.

Radio Interview by Marc Nocerino of She Never Slept of M.R. Gott.
Click Above to Listen