Michael Noe's Blog

The Pain and Misery

        Strangers - Dean Koontz  

      So in the eighties there was a race to see who the greatest horror writer was and there were only two names that I can think of right of the top of my head. Sure, there may have been others, but King and Koontz were the ones who had the biggest followings. King was more of a horror guy and Koontz for the most part was all sorts of different things. I was team King and always found Koontz a bit dry and boring but I do remember devouring Twilight Eyes. That was the only book of his I can remember reading and not being bored out of my skull. As an adult I occasionally revisit his stuff just to see if maybe the problem wasn't Koontz at all and just a result of my teenage brain not being equipped to deal with Koontz's writing style. The guy loves detail and aliens and conspiricies. His novels really seem to be all about the same shadowy figures lurking just out of our view. Nope, the problem wasn't me at all, it was all him. He's just boring. Why then did I pick up Strangers? It's an earlier novel, and it looked pretty interesting. Maybe this time I'll find a Koontz novel that doesn't suck. 

       The plot itself seems pretty simple. People are suddenly exhibiting bizarre behavior but can't figure out the cause. One guy has somnibulism, a priest without warning loses his faith, a man is suddenly afraid of the dark  and a doctor finds herself suddenly freaking out and running in fear of random things like black gloves, and a drain of all things. These people are linked somehow and of course the question is why? It's clear that they're all linked by something and Koontz takes a long time showing us. The novel itself is over seven hundred pages long and deals a lot with these fears which is cool because as bland as thse characters are, it's nice to see the links between them all. What happened to these people? What's the connection?

        The probem witht the novel is that it's far too long for such a simple story. All of this could have been concluded in a way that doesn't take close to seven hundred pages adnd a lot of those are wasted on characters that we don't really care about at all. It's as if Koontz was trying to out epic Stephen King but he doesn't have the skill or talent to do it.Strangers could have been good but by the time I got to the ending I no longer cared due to the exhaustion I felt while reading it. We all know that reading Koontz you either love him or hate him. There's no middle ground and there are people who love this guy but I'm still not sure why. At best, Strangers is a novel by a guy trying to find his own place in literary history. The novel has moments of hope, but as it wears on, it just becomes tedious and not all that fun to read. 

       I wanted to like Strangers but the ending just fell flat for me and the majority of the time I just wanted the damn thing to end. People do love this book but sadly I'm not one of them. I just expected more than what I was given and at times, it simply felt as if Koontz was simply making shit up as he went along just to pad pages. A proper editor would have sat him down and it told him the book would be a lot better shorter. With the falling memory blocks and the addition of the army there should be a sense of excitement. What happened in Elko was tragic but reading this book was even more tragic. 

One star and that's being generous. 

The Worms Crawl In

 Darklings - Ray Garton 

                                                         

      Darklings isn't a new book nor is it one that a lot of people remember, It was released during the horror boom of the eighties and what a time it was! So many classic novels were released and of course Stephen King was leading the charge with his middle finger raised high. I would spend the majority of my allowence on horror novels and shit, there were a lot to choose from. The covers on some of these were so good, and yes, even terrible but that was what grabbed my attention. If it had an interesting cover odds were I'd pick up the book just to see what it was about and odds were, I'd end up buying it. The problem was a lot of these writers were just looking to cash in on the horror boom so while you had a lot of great and even mid level horror novels you were also stuck with a lot of shit. Novels so had you ended up throwing the book across the room in disgust. Where does Darklings fit into all of this? It's in the range of pretty decent to almost classic. It fell through the crack which is a shame because I really enjoyed it. 

       Garton's novel is simple enough to follow and while it may start out slow, it does pick up a little momentum in the second half. Jeffery Collinson is hit by a car and is brought into the ER where he starts talking gibberish about dark Christs and how something is going to come now. What that is, is what drives the novel. When Hunt sees what looks like a worm escape from Jeff's nose we know that business is about to pick up. These worms burrow into the brains of their hosts and allows them to act upon their darkest thoughts. In one case a patient eats the arm of her room mate and a pregnant mother kills her two kids and then uses the knife on herself. Once these worms get inside your head, there's nothing you can do. It's up to Hunt and his gang to stop it. Of course no one believes him until it's too late. It's an interesting book that somehow fell through the cracks which is a bit sad because Darklings is good and falls into a couple of horor tropes. Good vs Evil being the main thing and of course the simple comcept of evil being unleashed onto the world. 

       Collinson was an evil, vile person who is the heart of the novel Through his beliefs evil has manifested itself as worms and burrows into the minds of its victims enabling them do unspeakable acts.  While the novel itself is a bit cheesy at times and taps into the satanic panic of the time but it's a well written book that isn't too gory or even graphic but the kill scenes are ones that do stick with you . It's the kind of book that could have been huge but somehow wasn't and I can see why. Garton's writing style is decent but the first half stumbles along slowly. When it does pick up in the second half we begin to see where Garton's going and the story begins to reveal itself and sure, it now feels dated, but it's a decent read despite its lackluster ending, The ending is anticlimatic but how else could it have ended? Darklings is a horror novel that sometimes doesn't make sense, but good horror doesn't have to. All it needs is a decent plot and characters you can believe in or even root for. When it comes to books like these I just want a great story, a story and Darklings has that. Not everyone will enjoy it and they'll probably roll their eyes a bit but let's be honest here and admit that not eveyrone is going to enjoy a book like this and that's okay. If you're a fan of horror and evil worms this is worth looking up.  I give this one 4 stars. 

        

Classic King

 Pet Sematary - Stephen King 

                                                               

        Writers always have books they cite as major influences and this one is mine. I was ten when I first read this and suddenly a light bulb clicked on in my head and I wanted to be a writer. I was ten so I wasn't thinking about anyting other than writing. Writing was more than enough and it turns out, I'm pretty good at it despite not making any money from being a published author. Odds are, you've never read anything I've written but if you look up Michael Noe on Amazon, you'll find some of my work. The point is King's novel is dark and sinister and deals with a subject no one likes to talk about. We think about it a lot and even see it on our television screens but we pretend that it can't happen to us. Reading the book now as an adult I can see why this book is so dark. The death of a cat opens a door that should never be opened and a warning from a dying man is quickly forgotten.What's interesting here is the horror is tied into the story. Rachael's sister Zelda is a prime example of just how frightening this novel can be without being gory. You can see Zelda in your mind, and for some, it's in your nightmares. 

        What may drive people insane here is the slow methodical pacing. Not a lot happens here, but when it does it hits you hard. Sematary lacks in action, it more than makes up for it with emotion, and the feeling of loss. To me, this will always be my favorite King novel because of King's writing style. You feel as if you're standing with these characters and feel exactly what they're feeling. When Louis takes Gage out to fly the kite you can almost feel Gage's excitement. This is what makes the last of the book so hard to read. You begin to feel the loss and grief and you can even understand Louis' reason for doing what he's doing. Is the burial ground that's gotten a hold of him or is it the loss he feels that makes him do what he does? The burial ground is just as much of a character as the Creed's and even Judd. You begin to ask yourself what would you do if you were in the same situation and yes, then you begin to see why Micmac burial ground is so powerful. The idea that our loved ones could return from the dead is a powerful thought but would they be the same poeple? Would we be able to love them even if they were changed? When Louis does the unthinkable the novel takes an even darker turn and the pages fly by.  5/5

Holy Crap!

 As Long As We Both Shall Live - JoAnn Chaney 

                                                       

      What makes a book great? For me, it's about the story, the writing and the characters. Chaney's novel is something familiar but at the same time it's done well. This is a writer who explores the dark side of human nature, and marriage and does in a way that's compelling. Matt's first wife dies in a horrific home invasion and then twenty years later, his second wife falls off a cliff. Is it a case of bad luck or something far more sinister? The interesting thing is that deep down you think Matt not only killed his first wife, but also had something to do with Marie's dissapearance. He's not a character you get to learn a great deal about, but you can't help but feel that he's guilty mainly due to how the book is written. Add to that the second plot that's about Detective Loren and the fact that his partner suddenly dissappeared many years ago. It seems as if all of these characters are flawed in some way which adds a bit of realism to the novel. 

        As Long As We Both Shall Live is the kind of book you pick and suddenly can't put down. There's a lot of twists and turns that led to the truth of what really happened. Matt's not as innocent as he appears and Loren has a skeleton in his closet but the reality of both of these crimes take an unexpected turn once we reach the halfway point. The surprises here you don't see coming and they're pulled off with ease. While the ideas here aren't original, the ideas, and execution make it a worthy read. Thrillers like these only work if the writing is good and here, the writing is great. Each plot twist takes you by surprise and the conclusion wraps everything up nicely. It's not exacly a happy ending, but it's the kind of ending that works and you don't feel cheated. 

       There will be a lot of comparisons to another book, and I can see the similarities but it's still the kind of book that sucks the reader in and keeps them guessing. The relationship between Matt and Marie is the glue that holds this all together. Did he really kill his wives? Is he the monster the author makes him out to be? That's something you have to figure out for yourself. All I can say is that this is a book that isn't going to win any prizes for originality but it's a damn good read that moves at a steady clip. If this is ever made into a film it'll be interesting to see how it translates onto the big screen. 4 stars 

Vampires Stephen King Style

 'Salem's Lot Stephen King 

                                                                        

       It's hard to believe that 'Salem's Lot is Stephen King's second novel or maybe it isn't so hard to believe. When we think of King now a lot of words come to mind, but back then, he was simply a new writer trying to find his voice. Carrie was a great introduction to King's writing style and what an introduction it was. Carrie is a classic horror novel and showed us how great horror could be if done correctly. 'Salem's Lot was King's attempt at story about vampires invading a small town and it includes a few Easter Eggs as a nod to Bram Stoker's classic novel. I remember reading this as a kid and not liking it all that much so I hadn't bothered to reread it. One day I picked it up and thought why not read it again. Look at it with a pair of adult eyes? Is it really as good as everyone says it is? What did I miss the first time around?

       It's not an easy book to read but that's not due to any violence or real terror. King loads up the first half of the novel with the town of 'Salem's Lot so you begin to feel a connection to the town and its people When you hit the second half of the novel you really feel a sense of dread as people begin to dissappear and the idea of vampires becomes painfully real. Matt, and Ben treat this as fiction, a story created by someone and couldn't possibly exist. What King has done here is create something unique without rehashing all the territory already ventured upon. At its core, Salem's Lot is more than just a story about vampires it's about a town and how evil can invade event the safest of places. At the center of it all it the Marsten house which is a ligtning rod fot all of it. It's easy to dimis this as a book as overwritten, and boring but the second half shows us that King is truly a force to be reckoned with. 

       His attention to detail is what creates those feelings of dread. The shocking moments he creates are even more shocking because we're not simply reading a book, we feel a connection to these characters. King could have given us a horrifying vampire novel but instead he's given something else.  A nod to the past while keeping it fresh. As far as King novels go this is truly one if his best books. He's found his footing and his voice which is unique and unlike anyone else in horror. It's certainly not a novel that moves quickly. It moves slowly, methodically right up until the end. True horror doesn't have to gory to be good. It's all about pacing, allowing the novel to slolwy build tension. That's exactly what King has done here. A true classic that has aged remarkably well. When you read older King novels you can see why he was once called the Master Of Horror. For a second novel, this is one that sticks with you long after you read it. 

5 out of five stars 

Master Of Games

       In The Dark - Richard Laymon

                                                             

 

      Jane is a librarian working through rhe last of her shift when she spots an envelope with her name on it and inside is a letter inviting her to play with someone named the Master Of Games. The simple task sets of a chain of events that slowly escalate to the point where the money becomes more important than Jane's safety. Who is The Master Of Games? What's his motivation? This is what drives the novel as well as the escalation of each dare. At any point Jane can quit, but the pull of easy money is far too hard to ignore even though she sees first hand just how dangerous things are becoming. Laymon stacks the novel with a great deal of suspense while throwing in his usual trademarks. At its core is what Laymon calls bad people doing bad things. While its clear that Mog could be crazy, Jane herself does some questionable things as well. It shows you just how far people will go for money and Jane may see things escalating slowly out of control, she's in too deep to simply stop. 

       While Laymon's dialouge may be his weak spot, his stregths in plot and pacing make up for it. Sometimes his characters do things that leave you scratching your head at times, but there is a method to Laymon's madness. Brace is an interesting subplot but as the novel goes on, he becomes more than a love interest, he becomes the voice of reason trying to pull Jane back from the edge of the abyss she is slowly inching toward. At the heart of it all is The Master of Games who appears while Jane is sleeping and leaves written notes on her body while she sleeps. Laymon has a knack for creating scenes that make you cringe and In The Dark is no exception and here we have quite a few of them. These scenes only add to the sadistic nature of Mog and the kind of character he is. While he's a faceless character his presence is well felt in each letter he leaves for Jane. 

         This is one of Laymon's most interesting books and one that could have propelled him onto the best seller lists, but this is Richard Laymon. He's a great storyteller but his style of writing would never go over big with most readers. He's an acquired taste who loves to make his readers feel uncomfortable and present a side of human nature most of us will never see. It's a mixture of thriller, mystery and horror that hooks you in from the opening paragraph. You almost can see yourself as Jane and you ask yourself would you play the game and if so, how far would you go? 

Four stars 

And Now For Something DIfferent

 Your Secret Admirer - Carl Laymon 

                                                          

                                                          

       I know you're asking yourself why I'm reading a cheesy young adult novel but more importantly why am I reviewing it? The answer is simple. Your Secret Admirer was written by none other than the late Richard Laymon and I wonder how he felt about this novel when he started gaining a cult following. Did he know that fans like me would actually track it down just to show them off in their collection? It's funny to see Night In The Lonesome October, Funland and Bite standing next to a book called Your Secret Admirer. There's really no comparison between this and his later novels which is kind of the point. What's great about it is that Laymon gets right to the mystery which is who the secret admirer could be. I remember reading a few young adult horror novels and some of them were great. R.L. Stine really raised the bar on how great YA horror could be, but Laymon also adds something as well. While it's a novel aimed at teens it's interesting enough to be read by adults despite the cheese that oozes from the pages. 

       Reading it now, the story does feel dated, but it doesn't detract from the story at all. One of the Laymon trademarks has found its way here and that's at it how well it's written. Right in the first few pages you know what the story's about, but we don't know who this person is. The letters become even odder and to make matters worse we're introduced to Glenn a creepy kid that tries to force Janice into dating him. It's a Laymon trademark to include two plots and Glenn is the type of villian that is just so creepy, and even dangerous. Laymon has always created the best villians. These are villians who are deeply disturbed. When you meet Glenn you instantly know that this is Richard Laymon and even for a YA novel he makes certain parts of the book dark and even a little creepy. 

        Another interesting thin is the Easter Egg that he places inside the novel. Eagle eyed Laymon fans will instantly pick up on it and it's interesting to see the nod to his more mature work. This was Laymon's only book written for Scholastic and it's unfortunate, but also a relief. While Your Secret Admirer is a decent, well rounded YA book, it's the over the top horror that he is most known for and the early novels written under different pen names are mostly sought out by fans who are completists. Even reading this as an adult, I liked it despite the fact that it's dated and does follow the tropes of young adult novels of this era. 

        It's not exactly horror, but it's pretty close. The ending was a bit jarring and everything came together as it should, but there was a lot of room to grow and even expand the story. This is a novel for kids so the length is to be expected and it doesn't take away from the story at all. Even if Laymon was doing this simply for the paycheck he still manages to craft a solid story with the right amount of twists to keep it interesting. It's gives fans a glimpse of Laymon we've never seen before and if I had read this as a teen I would have reread it a million times. It was certainly worth seeking out and allowed me to see Richard Laymon from a different perspective. 5/5

Laymon Is God

 Beware! - Richard Laymon 

                                                 

      Richard Laymon is not only one of my favorite authors, he's also a huge influence on my own writing. Beware! is one of his earlier works and it shows in the early going. It's almost as if he wants to make up for the past mistakes of The Woods Are Dark by tapping into mainstream horror and it almost works The problem with Woods was that the failure wasn't his. His publisher gave him a crappy cover and hacked away half of the book. He has a distinct, almost frenetic writing that pulls you in from the opening paragraph. What it lacks is the usual Laymon trademarks, it more than makes up for in plot and pacing. Beware! is an updated version of the Invisible Man, but here, there's nothing redeemable about the guy. He uses his invisibility to create as much mayhem as possible. Laymon has created a villian that is truly evil and as the novel goes on you get a front row seat at just how evil he is. For someone who has never read a Laymon novel, this would be a good place to start. His usual trademarks aren't yet in place and while the novel does include some cringeworthy moments, it's still a great read. 

       He's not yet near the ultra-violent stage yet which makes this an interesting read and not as gritty or even violent as his later novels. His characters do sometimes behave in ways that make you scratch your head in bewilderment but it doesn't take anything away from the novel. It's still a great twist to the classic question of what would you do if you were invisible and adds a bit of depth to the idea of somone unpleasant being granted the powers. Add in the creepy cult as a clever plot device and you have something unique. Sadly, this wasn't his break into the mainstream it should have been, but there are far too many areas here that would turn of casual horror fans. It does include scenes of rape, and murder, but again, when you read later novels you can almost see that he gave up on mainstream success and just wrote what he wanted without caring about who he offended. Richard Laymon never achieved the mainstream success he could have, but Laymon novels aren't going to ever be accepted by most horror fans. 

       Beware! is a classic early novel that once more shows his growth as a writer. He creates stories that stick with you and drift into dark places. It's here in the dark where the best stories exist, it's where you're going to find that sometimes, the real monsters are out among you and soemtimes, they're invisible. Laymon is the kind of writer you either love or hate. A search of his reviews will show this clearly, but those of us who are fans are loyal and fly the Laymon flag every chance we get. Beware! is a great gem that sadly slid under the radar, but it's a great novel and one that shows just how great Laymon was. 5/5 stars 

Kicking It Old School

 Mine - Robert R. McCammon 

                                                          

      I've heard a lot about McCammon yet the only experience I've ever really had was with Blue World a short story collection. I can only remember bits and pieces of it and I have tried, and failed to read Swan Song. Mine was picked up on a whim and I thought I was going to read a straight up horror novel but to be fair, it's not, but that's not a bad thing. What we have is a story with multiple threads weaving the plot together while the core focus is on Mary Terror and the baby she's stolen to present to a cult leader. As I read about how easy it was to kindnap the baby it was unsettling and couldn't happen these days. You simply can't go into a hospital wearing a nurses uniform and just snatch someone's kid. There are two stories being told here and each plot is given equal time. You have the crazy hippie who was a memeber of a radical group called The Storm Front who sees a message from what she thinks is their leader and then you have Laura who finds that the perfect life she thought she had isn't so perfect after all. She finds out her husband is having an affair and then to make matters worse, her baby is taken from the hospital by a crazy woman. 

      All of this seems like a great idea for a novel and for the most part it is, but it moves slowly, far too slowly at times which shouldn't happen wtih a book like this. The book would have benefitted with a shorter page count and dare I say less detail? Mine has a lot of filter, characters appear that seem to have a bearing on the overall arc of the story but serve as minor breaks in the action. There's no denying that McCammon is talented and you get to experience the loss that Laura feels. It's not the loss of her baby but also the loss of her marriage. Even though Mary Terror is a vile, crazy woman who is clinging onto the past you can see just how much she believes in the cause and how just one message serves as a tipping point that may seem like madness but is so much more. These are great characters that serve as the classic story of good vs evil. We can relate to these characters and even understand their motivation. 

        It's sad to see a novel with such great potential stumble so much and so often. Mine feels like Stephen King light at times and is bogged down with too much storytelling. Trimmed down, it could have been a great novel but as it is, it's just okay. Nothing special, nothing to add to the genre at all which is unfortunate becasue it starts off so strongly but I soon found myself running out of patience. I liked the history of Stormfront and how much of an imposing figure Lord Jack was. It shows the dark side of the sixties and just how dangerous groups like this really were. Mary kidnapping a baby for a man she once loved is a great plot device and shows us just how crazy and yes, even devoted Mary is. Mine has moments of brilliance yet falls into the category of C, or D rate thrillers. It's a name you hear about often but never got a chance to read. Stumpbling through MIne I felt cheated a bit. I've heard about great he is, but I just didn't see it here. Mine is an okay read, but is a little too long to contain a simple story like this. Trimmed a little it could have been a five star read but only eeks out a meager 2 1/2. 

Splatterpunk

Come Out Tonight - Richard Laymon 

                                                   

       This isn't my first time reading Laymon's Come Out Tonight but I can tell you that it's still in my top 5 Laymon novels and it was also the 2nd book of his I read. I was given a copy of The Stake many years ago because the woman who owned it didn't care for it and then years later a woman I worked with gave me my first copy of Come Out Tonight and I was instantly pulled into the story. What a story it is and I can see why some people would be turned off by Laymon's style. As I read it again, the shock and awe of Laymon's style still got me. This is not an easy novel to read and isn't recommended for those who dislike violence. Come Out Tonight starts off with a couple planning on making love but don't have any condoms. Duane decided to hit the Speed-D-Mart tpo pick some up but then the story takes a drastic turn when Duane fails to come back. When Sherry, his girlfriend decides to go looking for him that's when the story really picks up and we are thrust into a nightmare created by one of Laymon's most sadistic villians Toby Bones. 

       Toby offeres to help her look for Duane but soon things take a turn and Sherry is brutally attacked and eventually raped. Laymon knows how to write a decent story, but sometimes, his characters say and do things that make little to no sense, but the story is no damn good, you tend to forget just how implausible most of this. Come Out Tonight is Laymon at his brutal shocking best. He knows how to pace the his novels and keeps things moving at a brisk pace. Toby is a vile human being and Laymon gives us small glimpses of just how dangerous he is. It's one of his best villians and gives us clues as to why he's the way he is. Does it make it okay? Not at all, and while most writers would use this to gain some sympathy for the character, we have the exact opposite. Toby does things that you can't simply forgive and you want to see him taken down. 

         Come Out Tonight is extreme horror that plunges the reader into a nightmare that only allows you to catch your breath momentarily. There are some moments where characters do things that normal people don't do, but it's not something that detracts from the story. The violence and depravity Toby creates will no doubt make squeamish people thorw the book away in disgust but under that is a story of survival and revenge. While at times it seem unrealstic, it's still a novel that proves just how great Laymon was.