Ade Grant's Blog, page 10
March 22, 2013
Mariner Giveaway
The Mariner is available for free on Amazon from 22/03 – 23/03. Why not snare your free copy today? Some quotes from readers:
The Mariner, Free Giveaway!
“Ade Grant’s particular brand of psychological horror is a corrosive assault on the reader’s morals, which repeatedly promises reprieve, only to smash all hopes with a barrage of harrowing imagery and bitter-sweet revelations.”
“I felt the flow was like that of a road-trip, a nightmare highway journey… The Mariner himself made me wince at my species, at my sex especially.”
“…a polemic, twenty-first century “Gulliver’s Travels” of satirical fantasy. I think that it is a surreal, political, critical and analytical allegory. It seems to challenge perceived politics, religion, science, reason and physiology.
Read and think.”
“I was so completely disturbed at times, and at others times I was disgusted. At times I hated the Mariner character – wanted to end his wretched life myself – and at times I empathized with him greatly, wanted to protect him. It was a very difficult book to read at times, though the story was so engrossing I couldn’t stop. And when they end came around – though still some things were left deliberately without answers – I was completely fulfilled and left the story, in my opinion, a better person than when I started.”
March 20, 2013
Farewell James Herbert
James Herbert passed away today at his home in Sussex at the age of 69. Three authors had a huge impact upon my childhood; the first was Stephen King, the second Terry Pratchett and the third and most influential of the three was James Herbert.
Perhaps it was the brevity of his novels that made them so easy to pick up. The Rats is a book that can be digested in one sitting, The Dark a novel that to this day I hammer through within 24 hours, even though I know each scene before it arrives. But for whatever reason James Herbert’s novels form my earliest memories of reading.
Herbert is one of those rare authors than can actually conjure horror out of the fantasy. Stephen King managed it with Pet Semetary, and Herbert is the only author to do likewise with the brilliantly creepy asylum scene in The Dark. I remember listening to the audiobook version as a boy and being unable to sleep that night, my mind locked in that hellish building surrounded by countless lunatics laughing at my captivity.
As I’ve grown older I’ve often returned to Herbert’s writing, and although he never reclaimed his earlier brilliance, I will always remember him as my childhood hero.
In honour of Britain’s great horror writer, my top five James Herbert books:
5. Fluke
The story of a man who thinks he’s a dog, or a dog who thinks he’s a man; this fantasy tale is more light-hearted in content, but perhaps more grownup in theme. A man finds he’s been reincarnated as a dog and decides to track down his former life to save his family from his killer. This was later turned into a film in which all the melancholy was drained away to make it more appealing to the audience. Do yourself a favour and read it instead.
4. Once
Herbert’s crossover into erotica, once concerns itself with witches, hell-hagges and fairies. Thom Kindred is torn between good and evil as they both vie for his soul and occasionally.. er.. fluids.
3. The Rats
The first James Herbert book I read and the earliest book I can remember reading. The Rats is a cracking read which established Herbert’s knack for introducing a character, making us love them, then killing them in a stomach churning way. Giant rats wreak havoc on a grimy London. This was remade into a terrible film, so ignore that one. Would make a great movie one day if someone stayed true to the story and setting.
Artwork by Andrew McSweeney inspired by The Rats
2. Domain
The third book in the Rats Trilogy, but curiously the Rats are no longer the main antagonist: this time it’s man. London had been destroyed be a series of atomic explosions and the few survivors have been driven underground. However, deep below the rubble the rats are waiting; they have finally inherited the Earth. I still have vivid images burnt into my mind of the opening of this book in which character after character is given a brief past before being vaporised by the explosions. It was that realism that made this opening perhaps the most horrific I’ve ever read.
1. The Dark
My favourite James Herbert book of all time is this nasty little tale depicting a battle of good vs evil, light vs dark, that tears London apart. A ritual suicide sparks a growing wave of madness that spreads across London, its influence gaining momentum with each violent night. The government scramble to make sense of the phenomena throwing science against mysticism, but nothing seems to penetrate the Dark. It is the moral ambiguity of the Dark that excites me the most, the idea that evil lurks inside every human and given the right circumstance it can seize control, and most chilling of all: no-one actually did anything they didn’t secretly want to do all along.
Review: The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
FREE on Amazon
Amazon Description:
The plot of this novel depicts a group of men who have become castaways stranded on an island in the Pacific during the American Civil War.
Ade’s Review:
NOTE: This book was published in the late 1800’s. I, however, read it in 2013. Due to cultural differences the book may not have been received as intended.
Here we have five civilised men stranded upon a desert island, but as soon as they arrive they act as a plague upon the paradise, slaughtering the indigenous wildlife and destroying the landscape, shaping it to their own end with no respect for the natural world. Not the slightest remorse is shown for the creatures whose lives they destroy; every new beast or bird encountered is met with the same response: “Can we eat it? How do we kill it?”
Oh what loathsome devils! On one excursion they return to find apes inhabiting their home. Rather than peacefully usher them away, the blood-thirsty gang slaughter the lot, taking one final orangutan prisoner to turn into a slave. Indeed, they callously mock the poor beast for its inability to understand the concept of remuneration for its troubles.
The brutality does not end there. Happening upon a large turtle on the beach, the men joyously turn it onto its back so it would die slowly in the sun. Upon finding whale bones, they freeze them curved in fat, to lure animals into eating and thus pierce their stomachs. Oh, what twisted degenerates they are!
So arrogant are these men in their claim to this land that when a ship comes to dock for a similar purpose (to restock food and water), the quintet attack them without mercy, killing every last one.
Over the course of the story it becomes clear that Cyrus Harding is a villain of the most devious kind. I found myself first rooting for the big cats, then the pirates and finally the volcano.
Upon reaching the outcome, I was very disappointed.
March 3, 2013
Mariner Redesign Finalised
And the final version is….
The Mariner, Kindle Edition
Bravo, and huge thanks to artist Christopher Hayes!
Blogger, writer and editor C.W.Rhodes recently reviewed The Mariner for his blog. Below is an except:
“I haven’t felt so many wonderfully conflicting emotions while reading a book in a long time. This story is the wildest of rides – fast paced, energetic, unafraid, relentless, exhilarating, disturbing, and smart. I absolutely loved it. The plot was magnificent and revealed its points in such a way that was always exciting, always changing, always moving forward into some new territory. There are so many interesting ideas thrown into it that not only kept me entertained, but intellectually interested in what was being said.”
To read more, check out the full review here.
February 28, 2013
Mariner Cover Revision
As a part of a redesign of the Mariner (Kindle edition), artist Christopher Hayes has taken his original work and re-jiggered it to work better in thumbnail format. What do folks think?
EDIT: Any now we’ve added a third!
In other news, Eastleigh by-election is taking place. This vote looks to be a disaster for every losing party (aside from UKIP), and not much better for the winner neither. Keep an eye on twitter for cursing well into the night, though I expect many a re-count will be requested.
Hardback Cover
Kindle Cover
Alternative New Cover
February 26, 2013
Grabbygate
Grabby-gate. There, I’ve coined it – the Liberal Democrat ‘scandal’ that is tearing the party apart on the eve of the Eastleigh by-election. For those not familiar with the allegations (where have you been?) they are regarding the possible inappropriate behaviour of Lord Rennard. Rumours are flying and a police investigation is underway, and it may well turn out that Rennard was a deviant monster who prowled the halls of Westminster with his flies undone, but for now the accusations seem to be a bit of leg touching and sneaky attempts to lure women to his room after conferences.
Now, of course this is inappropriate, no-one would claim that those in power have any right whatsoever to treat others in this way, but as scandals go it’s hardly cash-for-honours. In fact, the perplexing this about this story is quite how this is all such big news. One wonders if the Lib Dems aren’t victims of a news-cycle so geared up for sex-scandals after the Saville case that they have to run wild with something thoroughly underwhelming. After all, this is the Liberal party; if they weren’t all trying to bonk each other behind closed doors I’d be bloody ashamed of them.
So on top of the Chris Huhne /Vicky Price court case, it is a pretty awful time to be a liberal democrat. Some polls place them in fourth place behind UKIP and it is now law that whenever the word liberal is mentioned in public you have to spit on the ground. Still, it is not as if there is any important vote coming up-
Hey wait a minute!! Isn’t there a marginal lib dem/tory seat up for grabs this week? Oh my goodness, so there is! Well isn’t that a coincidence! If I was paranoid I’d say this rather weak scandal was being ramped up to affect the by-election results, but thankfully I’m not so save your hate mail.
It’s all just a coincidence. A miraculous, perplexing coincidence.
February 24, 2013
Review: Mosquitoes by Marc R. Soto
Mosquitoes by Marc R Soto is available now through Amazon
Amazon Description:David is a normal ten-year-old boy who lives in the bosom of a happy family in a quiet town by the marshes, until some mysterious nightly bites lead him to undergo changes. All of a sudden, he knows things he shouldn’t, horrible things: his father dreams of going to bed with the intern and the husband of his teacher Mercedes is cheating on her. Mercedes is herself hiding a terrible secret from her past and is prepared to do something hideous to protect her future… And suddenly, along with awareness comes hunger. And thirst. An irresistible thirst…
Ade’s Review:
I am rather conflicted about this novella. I read it in one sitting, eagerly devouring every page, testament to the genuinely creepy concept that Soto explored. However, as the story entered its final stages I felt myself becoming increasingly disappointed with the direction the author chose to take us in, twisting away from the subtle into well-trod cliché.
Mosquitoes is a vampire story (yup, another one) but with a nauseating twist: the bloodsucker is an actual bloodsucker – a mosquito that feeds nightly upon a young boy and bestows nefarious powers upon him. Veering away from the mystical vamp of common lore to this everyday insect (albeit one with supernatural qualities) suddenly transforms the campy nosferatu into a much more real and unsettling presence. ‘Mosquitoes’ taps into the fear we all hold of bodily intrusion by the natural world, making the bloodsucking scenes so much more uncomfortable than the borderline erotic ones that dominate contemporary literature.
As David’s mind becomes transformed by the presence I found myself being reminded of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary (IMO the best horror story ever told), but not so closely as to feel that this was anything other than a comparison in my own mind. Ultimately, I wanted David’s powers explored further as these were a genuine source of horror in the tale.
Unfortunately, after these fresh and gripping elements had only just been introduced, the story suddenly becomes a typical one of evil vampire vs courageous heroine. The change of tone into cliché brought up glaring plot weaknesses; for example, the villainous entity was suddenly affected by a cross, even though there had never been the slightest hint of a Christian link to the tale. Perhaps these weaknesses wouldn’t have seemed so troubling if the book had been longer and the concepts more fleshed out.
Verdict:
Mosquitoes is a very promising novella that doesn’t quite deliver. The genuinely creepy concept underpinning the majority of the book makes it worth reading, but I hope the author returns to the story someday to flesh it out further. Ultimately I wanted to read more, which of all the problems a narrative can have is the least troubling.
February 21, 2013
Review: Bleed by Ed Kurtz
Bleed by Ed Kurtz is available through Amazon!
Amazon Description:When Walt Blackmore moves into an old gable front house on the outskirts of a small town, things are really looking up for him; he has an adoring girlfriend to whom he plans to propose, a new job teaching English at the local high school, and an altogether bright future. His outlook and destiny are irreparably changed, however, when an unusual dark red spot appears on the ceiling in the hallway. Bit by bit, the spot grows, first into a dripping blood stain and eventually into a grotesque, muttering creature.
As the creature grows, Walt finds himself more and more interested in fostering its well-being. At first he only feeds it stray animals so that the blood-hungry monster can survive, but this soon fails to satisfy the creature’s ghastly needs. It is gradually becoming human again, and for that to happen it requires human blood and human flesh. And once Walt has crossed the line from curiosity to murder, there is no going back…
Ade’s Review:
Okay, let’s get this out the way first – it’s a bit like Hellraiser! Right, now we can move on, because to become bogged down in comparisons would do this enjoyable quick-paced romp through a hellish abattoir a terrible disservice.
Bleed is classic horror tale in the sense that it is about a small group of characters in a remote setting, trying to deal with a peculiar scenario in which they should really seek professional help. Of course, this is not what they do, and the story descends into bloody mayhem. As a reader, struggling against it will collapse the whole damn lot on top of you like so much unbelievable mush, but if you go with the flow you’ll find moments of gruesome hilarity. I loved the tea-party-like dismissal of government help when the lead character discovers a monster growing out of his ceiling!
What is strongest in Ed Kurtz’ novel is the writing. Despite the constant butchering the descriptions never feel tired and we are constantly repulsed by the graphic prose. I was kept guessing about certain elements of the plot right until the end, quite an achievement given the relatively straight-forward story. Alas, I feel the narrative goes on a little too long for the concept and could do with being trimmed by a couple of killings.
Verdict:
Bleed is a piece of visceral entertainment, much like an 80’s splatter movie. Kurtz doesn’t overburden the story; he takes a concept and exploits it to its full potential, showing surprising restraint for the genre. If you want some gore with a creative flair, you can’t go wrong with this.
Bleed is available through Amazon here
February 19, 2013
Eastleigh by-election, 2013 Tactical Voting Crib Sheet
Long ago (2011), some concerned citizens got together and tried to change the way we elect our politicians here in the UK. We wanted to switch from the fatally flawed First Past The Post to a more healthy Alternative Vote system in which voters would be free to vote for the candidate that best represented their beliefs.
Alas, it was not to be. So rather than voting because of agreeing with candidates, the voters of Eastleigh will once again be voting based upon whom they hate the most. So, to aid in their bile, I have put together a simple voting crib sheet to help them work out how to really stick it to Miliband/Cameron/Clegg.
Hate: Liberal Democrats (Nick Clegg)
Vote: Labour (John O’Farrell)
Why: Eastleigh is a Lib Dem/Conservative marginal. This means that other parties are unlikely to win and thus the electorate should tactically vote depending upon who they dislike the most out of these two candidates. Voting for Labour would drain the Liberal Democrat vote, sending a message to Nick Clegg that his party has been rejected by the left. Don’t fear, the conservative vote will hold up and the liberal democrats will lose, hitting those pesky lib dems with a double whammy – they lose the seat, and face a resurgent labour party. Clegg will be crying in his soup before the day is out.
Hate: Labour (Ed Miliband)
Vote: Conservative (Maria Hutchings)
Why: If Labour can’t make inroads in the south (even with a charismatic candidate like John O’Farrell), then they have no hope of winning the general election. A victorious conservative party would prove that the electorate was supporting the austerity cuts and all of Ed Balls’ whining was pure poppycock. Osborne would be able to stand up in the commons and say, “Hey, turns out people LOVE cuts. Eat that, Miliband!” Ed will be crying in his porridge before the day is out.
Hate: Conservatives (David Cameron)
Vote: Liberal Democrat (Mike Thornton)
Why: The conservative party have managed to convince themselves that the reason for their poor poll ratings is that they are being watered down by those pesky liberals. When people say, “Boo! No to cuts!” What those Tory back-benchers hear is, “Boo! No to weak-and-restricted- not-going-far-enough cuts!” A victory to their coalition partner (and arch-nemesis) would shut them up good and proper. Why vote Lib Dem rather than Labour? A victory/swing to the Labour party will be dismissed as merely the natural process of a by-election. The Labour party is bound to harvest votes as it is in opposition. Voting Lib Dem sends a strong message it is Conservatives, not government, that is being rejected. Cameron will be sneezing on his eggs benedict before the day is done.
So there you have it, tactical voting in a nutshell. Cynical? That’s First Past The Post for you.
February 18, 2013
Review: Bottled Abyss by Benjamin Kane Ethridge
Bottled Abyss is Available Through Amazon
Amazon Description:YOU’VE TAKEN PAYMENT FOR A DEATH THAT DOESN’T BELONG TO YOU.
WHAT WERE THREE ARE NOW ONE, AND I AM FURY…
Herman and Janet Erikson are going through a crisis of grief and suffering after losing their daughter in a hit and run. They’ve given up on each other, they’ve given up on themselves. They are living day by day. One afternoon, to make a horrible situation worse, their dog goes missing in the coyote-infested badlands behind their property. Herman, resolved in preventing another tragedy, goes to find the dog, completely unaware he’s on a hike to the River Styx, which according to Greek myth was the border between the Living World and the world of the Dead.
Long ago the gods died and the River dried up, but a bottle containing its waters still remains in the badlands. What Herman discovers about the dark power contained in those waters will change his life forever…
Ade’s Review:
The terrible price of working miracles is one of my favourite horror themes and one that Benjamin Kane Ethridge explores to gruesome effect. Bottled Abyss mixes Barker-esque blood baths with ancient mythology to create a story that sprints along checking off genres as it goes. What begins as an eerie exploration of a traumatised relationship, twists into a dark thriller and then finally contorts itself into grand fantasy.
This mix of the mythic and mundane is at its most effective in the first section of the story, where the characters are struggling to comprehend their situation. As the narrative progresses we see continual perspective shifts that allow a wider comprehension of the story, but also detract from our emotional attachment.
In the final genre shift we explore the themes and mythology of the piece in greater depth, thus gaining a greater understanding of the concept Ethridge intended. This was the most gripping and stimulating section, but somewhere along the way I felt the characters had been left behind. So much dehumanisation had taken place, there wasn’t much left to root for.
Verdict:
Bottled Abyss drags by the balls whilst dangling lights before the eyes. At its heart this is a gory horror, but the fantastical twist helps the tale slide down easy.
