“His eyes went wide with pain as his intestines slipped from the wound in ropey, purplish white strands and began coiling at his feet.
That’s3.5 Stars~
“His eyes went wide with pain as his intestines slipped from the wound in ropey, purplish white strands and began coiling at his feet.
That’s my intestines, he thought. Oh my god, that’s my fucking guts!
He head butted his captor again, and this time, successfully broke free. He stumbled away from them with his guts unwinding behind him, as if they were a leash. The creatures seized the glistening strands and tugged.”
Although I have a stack of Brian Keene books, this is the first that I’ve read. I knew this would be the one to begin with, because it’s Summer. Obviously. Also, because I’ve been watching Survivor since the very first season and this sounded like the horror version of that. I’m a sucker for reality tv competition! No guilt in my pleasures, folx!
Castaways may be my introduction to Keene’s fiction, but I’ve been following him on Twitter for quite some time and he just seems like an all-around swell dude, y’know? I’ve come to respect him and what he has to say, especially after speaking up in support of victims that have been abused and sexually harassed. Thank you for being an ally to those of us that have experienced such trauma, Sir.
“On the island, the night had teeth.”
Castaways is a Survivor-like televised competition where constestants vote each other off of the uninhabited lush island while vying for the million dollar cash prize. Or rather, an island that is *supposed* to be uninhabited. It is, in fact, already quite occupied by violent sub-human creatures. Cannibals.
We join up with the large cast of characters several weeks into the survival series, after having already voted off seven of the original twenty. The remaining thirteen are preparing for the powerful Tropical Cyclone Ivan. With the storm ahead, much of the crew have been transported to an offshore freighter, where the banished contestants and production stay. Leaving behind only three camera operators to follow the remaining contestants, the group must contend with much more than the manipulation and backstabbing they were expecting.
Think classic horror, but make it in 2009. A love triangle between The Hills Have Eyes, Off Season and Survivor, if you will.
Castaways is a viscerally brutal, fucking bonkers island horror that is wickedly entertaining!
CW: Rape, misogynistic dick waffles, some fatphobic language, talk of bestiality and (obviously) cannibalistic monsters tearing people to fucking shreds....more
“The corpse’s skull broke into irregular pieces scattered across John Doe’s back and legs. Pink-gray matter, once the brain of someone who’d mattered,“The corpse’s skull broke into irregular pieces scattered across John Doe’s back and legs. Pink-gray matter, once the brain of someone who’d mattered, splattered across tile. The dull light that had animated John Doe’s white eyes dimmed. The body sagged to the floor, limp as a steak, except for the head, which was still noosed in computer cables. Bloody drool, the last thing John Doe would ever offer, skimmed down a power cord.”
When George A. Romero died in 2017, not only did he leave behind a legendary collection of movies and a massively loyal fan base, but there was also an epic zombie novel that was left unfinished. This novel, which reboots the zombie crisis, was an original story that the iconic horror master had been working on for many years. Romero had laid the groundwork, but it was Daniel Kraus who completed the doorstopper after another two years. Brought in by Romero’s wife Suzanne and his manager Chris Roe, Kraus had quite the project ahead of him. Not only was half of the book incomplete, but there was this constant flow of new material that kept popping up. I believe this book is better for it, as it felt like a true collaboration. Even from beyond the grave, Romero was making his voice heard.
Set in modern times, The Living Dead expands fifteen years into the future, whereas the films never went further than five years.
Written in such a way that it feels like these events are unfolding in real time, The Living Dead is absolutely huge in scope in almost every way with it’s multi-perspective storytelling. Divided in three acts, the short and snappy chapters pummel the stories desperately into your face. The first act is by far the largest, introducing the reader to an assortment of people during the first few weeks of the dead rising, including patient zero; Act two is the shortest section, as it is an overview of the 11 years that followed, covered in the Dead films; the final act takes place 15 years after the outbreak almost wiped out all of humanity, as the survivors are attempting to recreate civilization among a growing zombie population.
While the gnarly and gooey and sensational action scenes are wildly entertaining, the characters are the beating heart of what makes this a genre masterpiece. Among the long list of diverse characters that appear, those that stood out for me include: Jenny, Greer, Muse, Luis, Charlie, Hoffmann and Snoop. I dug the few passages that were told from the perspective of the ghouls, as well.
The Living Dead was exactly what I needed right now. After all, what better time is there to devour a story about the world coming to an end than during a real, ongoing pandemic?
“A new world could not look like the old world.”
Over 50 years after George A. Romero made Night of the Living Dead, the zombie genre has been done to death ::WHOMP, WHOMP:: thanks to entertainment like The Walking Dead. However, this reboot feels incredibly relevant to the world today if a zombie outbreak were to happen. I mean.. let’s not joke about that, because look what 2020 has already brought us.
Rage, fear, hopelessness, humanity, MOTHER FUCKING ZOMBIES!! The Living Dead reverberates with tension-filled energy. Much like Romero’s movies, this plays to many different audiences. Kraus melded his writing style with Romero’s trademark, which didn’t appear to be that difficult of a challenge, since he’s probably *the* biggest Romero fan alive. There’s a certain synchronicity between the two, that much is clear. In saying that, Kraus’ thoughtful afterward is essential reading. Trust me!
“.. keep fighting, keep surviving until the end.”
While carrying on Romero’s tradition of being so much more than just a zombie story, The Living Dead once again serves as powerful commentary on society and how time after time, the most horrifying of monsters prove to be humans themselves.
Although this novel could be thought of as yet another heartbreak for Romero because he wasn’t able to complete it himself, I think he would be mighty fucking proud of how it turned out. This is truly a celebration of his legacy, a final farewell to the Dead franchise.
Stay scared.
(Massive thanks to Tor Books for sending me a copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication**...more
“I want to nuzzle in their heart chambers and soak in their blood. I want to fill this grubby, over-chlorinated pool with their limbs. Their severed h“I want to nuzzle in their heart chambers and soak in their blood. I want to fill this grubby, over-chlorinated pool with their limbs. Their severed heads will float like abandoned inflatable toys. Some of them will have their flesh made into strips of jerky while I slurp on their chilled brain matter like a piña colada. In the morning, I will moisturize my tan skin with their melted down fat because it prevents me from burning beneath the hot Mexican sun. I am the Cucuy of Cancun.”
Sometimes even the best laid plans can go up in flames.
This horror anthology, edited by Samantha Kolesnik, is about summer vacations gone wrong. We’ve all had one. Maybe not *quite* like these, but shitty experiences when we are supposed to be enjoying ourselves nonetheless.
I love nature. But camping in the great outdoors? OH HELL NO! Besides the fact that sleeping on the ground with just a piece of fabric between you and who knows whatever the fuck is out there, there are endless possibilities of inherently creepy things about camping. I mean, I’m a horror fan with an overactive imagination. OF COURSE MY MIND WOULD GO TO THE DARK SIDE! What could go wrong? Animal attacks. Strange sounds all.. night.. long. Unsettling findings deep in the woods. Glowing orbs. Suspicious campers. Shit, that was just one experience I’ve personally had while camping! Then of course there’s.. AVOIDING STABBY MCSTABBERSONS AROUND THE CAMPGROUNDS. You know, the usual.
Worst Laid Plans includes stories by V. Castro, Hailey Piper, Patrick Lacey, Scott Cole, Laura Keating, Malcolm Mills, Jeremy Herbert, S. E. Howard, Chad Stroup, Kenzie Jennings, Waylon Jordan, Greg Sisco, Asher Ellis and Mark Wheaton, as well as a foreword by Sadie Hartmann.
“Something that crashes your world down one year is a scar you don’t think about the next, and something you pass without a second glance today, you realize tomorrow it meant the world.”
What with a global pandemic going on, traveling is out of the cards for most of us right now. And rightfully so! However, reading this should remove some of those wanderlust desires.. at least for a little while.
A monstrous couple, giant red barracuda, unkindly girls, caverns that contain mutant catfish creatures, an orgasmic sunburn, crocodiles vs. alligators, a centuries old Cucuy, snapshots of memories on a VHS recorder, a vampiric penanggalan, people who have sex with dolphins, a peeping Tom, storms and drug dealers, a trip to the Badlands gone horribly wrong! Each of these stories have their own distinct vibe, yet are cohesive throughout the collection. Some stories are more successful than others, like with any anthology.
Along with the creature features, there are real life horrors reflected in this. After all, those are the ones that tend to hit close to home. Nagging loneliness, a kid seeing the beach for the first time, sweltering heat that is indescribable when stepping off of the plane, predatory adults and dead summer friends. I’m a sucker for monsters, but it’s the hauntingly human side of things that truly stick with me. Summers with Annie was a favorite with the oldschool nostalgic feel and emotional impact. Covering the creature horror, Deep in the Heart was a standout for me. I just loved everything about it! If you are looking for something campy and fun, Good Time in the Bad Lands was a fucking blast! As someone who lives in the prairies, this road trip story through the flat landscape spoke to me! It was the perfect story to end this anthology.
Although I feel a higher page count would have benefited this particular collection overall, Samantha Kolesnik has curated an impressive variety of stories for Worst Laid Plans.
More dark and demented vacation horror stories, please!
(Thanks to Grindhouse Press and Samantha Kolesnik for sending me a digital copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication**...more
From the first sentence in the Prologue above, I knew I was in for a treat! This is a Grady Hendrix novel, after all.
The So“This story ends in blood.”
From the first sentence in the Prologue above, I knew I was in for a treat! This is a Grady Hendrix novel, after all.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, besides being a mouthful, is a demented delight that you can’t help but sink your teeth into!
Set in Charleston, South Carolina, in the same neighborhood as Hendrix’s incredible My Best Friend’s Exorcism. Although not a sequel, it does take place a few years after those events. This is a whole different beast featuring an unlikely cast of heroines, however. Instead of a coming-of-age tale about the kids, the focus here is on the parents. Specifically a group of housewives who have formed a not-quite-a-book-club book club after leaving their prior club due to the boring “literary” book choices.
“The old woman slowed her gnawing and sniffed the air like an animal. The heavy smell of fresh feces, the suffocating stench of spilled garbage, the iron reek of the raccoon’s blood forced their way up Patricia’s nose. She gagged, stepping backward, and her heel hit something soft. She sat down suddenly in the pile of greasy white bags, struggling to get up, trying to keep the flashlight beam centered on the old woman because she was safe as long as she could see the old woman, but the old woman was halfway to her already, crawling on her hands and knees, coming too fast, plowing through the spilled garbage, dragging the raccoon’s forgotten corpse along by its head.”
Patricia Campbell, a former nurse, finds herself unable to get any reading done between looking after her two kids, Korey and Blue, her husband Carter and her mother-in-law Miss Mary. That is, until Kitty introduces her to some pulpy true crime novels. Turns out, Patricia digs reading about murder and skin-crawling monsters!
Forming the new book club along with Patricia and Kitty are Grace, Maryellen and Slick. This is a group where they actually discuss the book of the month, rather than just drink wine and gossip.. though there *is* that as well! The five founding members grow closer and develop genuine bonds. It’s quite lovely to be part of! I’ve never been in a real book club, but for me, Bookstagram and Book Twitter are essentially the same where we gather from all over the world to nerd out over books! I’m fairly certain there aren’t any James Harris equivalents, but I admit to having been wrong about people once or twice before. I’m only human.
BUT I DIGRESS!
Things start to change in the quiet, cookie-cutter neighborhood after a mysterious man moves in down the street. James Harris has taken up residence with his elderly aunt to help take care of her and ends up joining the book club at the insistence of Patricia. She enjoys talking to him, because he seems to actually see her. He loves reading, takes the time to truly listen to her and well, he’s not bad to look at, either.
When children start to disappear, Patricia begins to suspect something more sinister lurking within James. The problem is, everyone else thinks that she’s read one too many horror novels and is imagining it all. James has embedded himself within the families of the book clubbers and is proving to be beneficial to have around for the husbands. It may be up to Patricia alone to prove that James isn’t who, or what, he says he is.
Hendrix guides you through many years of the lives of these women and their families. You feel as though you are living on the same street, taking part in the community events, joining the glorious horror-loving true crime reading book club. It’s an authentic look at parenthood, especially as a mother and the need we sometimes feel to do it all. To manage everything, including the mundane day-to-day while also trying to keep the essence of who we are as individuals. As much as our lives are dedicated to our children, we are more than Sally and John’s mom. Hendrix honors that with this story.
It made my chest tighten, the slow build of tension mounting with each passing chapter. As an oldschool Ann Rule fan from back in the day, the connections that were drawn to the relationship between Ann and Ted Bundy and Patricia and James felt like a proper homage. That’s something else you expect to get when reading a Hendrix novel – a stomach punch of nostalgia through pop culture references.
Bloody and gory and rat-infested and sweet and funny and GNARLY AF. Grady Hendrix, yet again, mixes horror and humor with oh so much heart. He has quickly solidified himself as one of the truly unique modern storytellers.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires is The ‘Burbs (MY FAVORITE MOVIE EVER) meets Fright Night, infused with The Stepford Wives and sprinkled alongside the southern charm of Fried Green Tomatoes, done in a way that only Hendrix can.
If this doesn’t top your book club reading list, then, well.. get a new book club!
(Massive thanks to Quirk Books for sending me a copy in advance!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC & are subject to change upon publication**...more
"Saved but not saved. Okay but not okay. Isn't that just completely fucking human?"
Locke and Key is a series that has been on my radar for ages now. W"Saved but not saved. Okay but not okay. Isn't that just completely fucking human?"
Locke and Key is a series that has been on my radar for ages now. With the Netflix adaptation releasing today, I figured it was time I finally took off the plastic wrap from my slipcase and cracked open one of the glorious volumes! Over the last few nights, I have devoured all six installments with a voracious hunger.
This review covers the entire series.
"Grown-ups just have trouble seeing magic."
After the mysterious murder of her husband, Rendell, Nina Locke moves her family across the country to Keyhouse Manor, his childhood home in Lovecraft, Maine.
Siblings Tyler, Kinsey and Bode soon discover that Keyhouse Manor is filled with secrets. There are various magical keys that unlock special powers. Keys that may be connected to their father.
The comic series alternates between past and present, before and after Rendell's horrific death.
"Boredom and existential angst."
The story that is crafted between Gabriel Rodríguez's hauntingly beautiful artwork and Joe Hill's imaginative worldbuilding is pure magic. They compliment each other brilliantly, not only creating a dreary atmosphere, but something that is so intricately detailed and filled with a ton of heart.
Hill is a masterful storyteller and the evolution of this series is incredible to behold. He unlocks the demons, both literally and figuratively, of the family in this stunning coming-of-age horror. I became attached to these characters and truly cared about them by the end of this story.
Locke and Key consistently blends twisted fuckery, unrelenting gore and the macabre with an emotional depth that is unshakable. It's brutally graphic, but poignant. Gut-punch after gut-punch after gut-punch.
"If you got any doubt about what I'm doing, you gotta get this in your head right now: these fuckers ain't Wiccans or hippies, they ain't those chicks"If you got any doubt about what I'm doing, you gotta get this in your head right now: these fuckers ain't Wiccans or hippies, they ain't those chicks from The Craft, they ain't Sabrina or the chick from Bewitched. These bitches are the real deal. Lieutenants of Hell on a vacation to Earth. Soul-sucking hag-beasts."
Burn the Dark, the new novel from S.A. Hunt, was originally self-published in 2015. Then along came Tor Books, who picked it up and has since turned it into a series.
Following Robin Martine, aka Malus, as she hunts witches and documents the action on her YouTube channel, Malus Domestica. The videos go viral, reaching millions of followers. However, the audience just assumes that the action is fake. Surely the realistic violence is the result of a talented, albeit amateur, performer?
Except witches are real and so is the footage that Robin uploads to her channel. Her fans have no idea that she is on a mission to avenge the death of her mother, who was killed by a coven of witches.
Returning to her hometown in Georgia, she discovers another family living in her old house. This family is dealing with their own demons, but it's what is awakened in the house that will truly test them.
"Or an alien, maybe. Some ancient extradimensional being just too old and too weird for people's boring bullshit. Or maybe like we went to Narnia, had a bunch of adventures, and now we're back on Earth, but now we're part elf or something, and we've got this magic sword, and we know what it's like to fight centaurs, and just, nobody around you can understand that shit, so you keep it to yourself, and you hold it inside you so tightly it twists you, makes you weird."
Burn the Dark has a True Blood meets Supernatural meets Buffy and the Scooby Gang as written by Dean Koontz vibe. Full of atmosphere, madcap carnage, witches, humor, action and a wonderfully diverse cast of characters. Each one of them broken in some way.
It's a very current story, with the focus on viral videos and YouTube fame. There are certainly more than a few creepy aspects to social media and Burn the Dark touches on those. Easily digested content, influencers, the lack of privacy, what's real and what isn't. Social media isn't the only monster that Robin is confronted with though, as she navigates past trauma and learning to open up to others.
Burn the Dark is a promising start to a new action-adventure horror series!
(Thanks to Tor Books for sending me a copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC & are subject to change upon publication**...more
"It is written in the Archives that, once upon a time, the gods looked out on a universe barren and unthinking save for themselves. And they tested an"It is written in the Archives that, once upon a time, the gods looked out on a universe barren and unthinking save for themselves. And they tested and experimented until they sparked matter into a form that might, one day, be capable of thought. And Shub-Nigaroth, mother of fear, looked on the first life and said: it will fail, but for now it is good."
Winter Tide is the debut novel from Ruthanna Emrys and the first installment in the Innsmouth Legacy series. Enjoyably familiar Lovecraft elements with writing uniquely Emrys own, flipping the typical Mythos on its head.
Aphra and Caleb Marsh are the only children that have survived the Deep One internment camps, a horrific act by the government where Aphra and her people were rounded up and imprisoned in a desert, far from their beloved sea where they lived. Many were subjected to torture and medical experiments.
The Marsh siblings are eventually joined in the concentration camp by Japanese-American citizens who have also been locked up during World War II. One of the families take Aphra and Caleb under their wing and treat them as their own. At the end of the war, they are inadvertently released along with the other families.
Now living in San Francisco with her adoptive family, Aphra works at a bookstore owned by her friend, Charlie Day (CHARLIE DAY!!) Unfortunately, Aphra and Caleb have been estranged for some time, as he clings to the past and she tries to forge ahead, picking up the pieces of a life without her community.
That is, until the same government who took everything away from her now want to recruit her to assist them in returning to Innsmouth. Ron Spector is the FBI agent who comes calling, hoping that Aphra will help him find out more information on a body-switching technique that he fears Russians may have studied at the Miskatonic University.
“Odd how automatic masks are, even with those who’ve seen beneath them.”
I'd be remiss if I didn't say that the blurb by Seanan McGuire was what originally caught my eye when I first picked up this book a few years ago. It's a beautiful quote by an author that I have much respect for. It didn't hurt that this is a Lovecraft retelling, either!
I did struggle with the pace, especially in the beginning. However, there was a lot that I dug! The bones of the story kept me interested enough in the quiet moments; Aphra is a compelling character, with her strong sense of duty; and of course, the found family trope which I will never get tired of!
In the Acknowledgements section of Winter Tide, Emrys mentions the three groups of readers when it comes to the problematic Lovecraft - the faction that loves his work, those that absolutely loathe it and the others that refuse to ever read it. I sit somewhere between the first two factions, for the most part. From what I've read, I can't deny his talent. Cosmic, atmospheric horror is something I've always loved. Would that foundation that was developed by Lovecraft be what it currently is without him? Who can truly say. But one thing is for certain.. H.P. Lovecraft was a fucking vile, horrible, disgusting bigot.
I've now read a number of works that have taken Lovecraft and completely transformed the influences into the antithesis of his work. Less suppressed. More diverse. Stories where bigotry itself is the horror. And that is what Ruthanna Emrys does with Winter Tide.
Winter Tide is a story that blends real history with fantasy. Delving into representation, identity, found families and what makes a monster. It's gloriously diverse - filled with women, queer characters and non-white people. Essentially, it's a collection of nightmare fuel for Lovecraft, which I can't help but applaud!...more
Is there anyone out there who captures a reader so quickly and consistently as Joe Lansdale? He tends to have these openings that make you s3.5 Stars~
Is there anyone out there who captures a reader so quickly and consistently as Joe Lansdale? He tends to have these openings that make you sit up and pay attention IMMEDIATELY.
"Bill Roberts decided to rob the firecracker stand on account he didn't have a job and not a nickle's worth of money and his mother was dead and kind of freeze-dried in her bedroom."
That's it. That's how this begins. Fucking hell!
Bill's mother died in her sleep one night. She went to bed and just never woke up. Besides the small amount of cash his mother used to give him when her benefits cheques came in, Bill didn't have any money. The problem is, if Bill reported that she had passed away, then he would lose the house and not have anywhere to live. His mother owned everything, providing him with shelter and food, but not much else in the way of survival and teaching him how to be a 'decent member of society'. She ends up leaving him nothing in her will, instead choosing to give it to a charity that provides veterinarian research for cats. Being in her 80's and having no friends or family, Bill is able to hide the fact that she has passed away and continue to collect her Social Security cheques.. which he is actually too afraid to cash.
The electricity eventually gets turned off, all the refrigerated food gets spoiled and Bill decides he should probably do something about his situation. He plans to rob a firecracker stand across the highway from his house, because it seems to get a lot of customers. But he can't do it alone. That's where Bill's two dim-witted friends, Chaplin and Fat Boy, come in. They are going to help Bill hot wire and steal a car, then rob the stand at night when there is just one person working. Their hope is that there will be plenty of money.
Unsurprisingly, the heist ends in disaster.
Bill flees the scene, disappears into a swamp, encounters a metric fuck ton of mosquitoes that make his face swell rather hideously and ends up travelling with a 'freak show'. I'm paraphrasing and yet.. damn.
Lansdale usually writes such memorable, richly depicted characters. You can't help but fall in love with them! However, the main protagonist in Freezer Burn is highly unlikable and it's hard to find any semblance of sympathy for him.
Lust, conspiracies, mystery, manipulation, dark humor and one freezer-burnt corpse. The story was unexpected, feeling quite different from most of Lansdale's other work. Yet, it's still written in the unrivaled Lansdale way. Strong language; themes relevant then and unfortunately now; flawed characters; bizarre humor.
There aren't many writers who can carry a story as depressing as this one, but Lansdale manages to somehow produce it into a page-turner. He makes you think about difficult topics one minute, whipping you into a poignant mess of emotions; and then before you know it, you're laughing your face off at something deliciously twisted.
Joe Lansdale is simply an outstanding storyteller!...more
“When the whole world hurts, you bite it, don’t you?”
Holy fuck. HOLY FUCKING FUCK!!
That’s it. That’s the review.
Kidding! As if I’m not going to sit he“When the whole world hurts, you bite it, don’t you?”
Holy fuck. HOLY FUCKING FUCK!!
That’s it. That’s the review.
Kidding! As if I’m not going to sit here and spew words all over the damn place because– WHOOPS! I’ve fallen in love with another Stephen Graham Jones book. This probably won’t be much in the way of a cohesive review, instead will just feature lots of gushing about this book that you absolutely must place into your eye holes before it becomes an insane movie (GET THAT NETFLIX MONEY, SGJ!) It has to become a movie. HAS TO! One of many examples throughout the book that scream cinematic horror is a basketball game sequence. It’s a flurry of emotions with jaw dropping intensity unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.
It’s so damn good that I wanted to smash my face into the table!
It’s so damn good that my soul temporarily left my body!
It’s so damn good that it almost made me forget about that cringey baseball scene in Twilight!!
::Ahem::
The Only Good Indians has been garnering much attention since it was announced, with headlines touting Stephen Graham Jones as the Jordan Peele of Horror Literature. While I adore Peele, I have to disagree with that lofty comparison. As far as I’m concerned, Stephen Graham Jones is one of the greatest living writers in his own right. His storytelling is incomparable with such a distinctive voice. Slashy poetic, if you will. One hand grabbing you by the throat, while the other crushes your heart in his fist.
“The years can just fall away, man.”
The Only Good Indians follows a group of four Native American men from the Blackfeet reservation as their past begins to catch up to them. Lewis, Cass, Gabe and Ricky are known as the Four Boogey Butchers of Duck Lake because of one fateful night ten years ago. Ignoring land restrictions that were in place by tribal elders, they went on to slaughter a herd of elk. One in particular proves especially difficult to kill.
As a result, the friends face serious repercussions for what they’ve done. The hunting privileges they’ve had revoked is just the beginning. No one is safe when the predator becomes the prey.
The Only Good Indians contains this glorious blend of creature feature vibes, swirled in Final Destination horror and stuffed with biting societal and cultural issues.
The indigenous culture is a large part of growing up in Canada. A rich, complicated, fractured history. The residential school system that were government-sponsored religious schools where children were ripped from their families and assimilated into white society, missing and murdered indigenous women and girls, high suicide rates in indigenous communities and a disproportionate number of indigenous people in the criminal system. Many of us, myself included, have indigenous ancestry and although we are aware of these horrific crimes against cultural identity, it only scratches the surface of white supremacy and the damage that has been caused.
SGJ is a Blackfeet Native American that is using his voice to examine these painful stereotypes and the tragic history of indigenous folx in such an honest, fearless way. Exposing the rest of us to these stories. Stories we need. Stories that matter. Stories that deserve to be heard.
Change is in motion. If there is any time that is ready for it, now is that time.
Seamlessly weaving together real life horror, trauma and revenge, The Only Good Indians is emotionally raw and brutal, taking you to some truly dark, fucked up places. It’s about a brokenness that exists in the world today where discrimination is still so prevalent; a sense of dehumanization while your cultural identity is threatened; and grappling with internalized racism. Yet.. there is an overarching theme of hope. And ultimately, of survival.
The Only Good Indians creeps into your psyche and lingers long afterwards. It is nothing short of a masterpiece.
PS. I’m not an elk connoisseur by any means, but having seen many here in the Rockies, that is a bull elk. The Only Good Indians is about a cow elk! Either way, the cover is stunning and it’s textured! Oof.
(Endless thanks to the rad folks over at Simon and Schuster Canada for sending me a copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC and are subject to change upon publication**...more
He wore a funeral suit of black velvet and a black top hat. His face was as yellow as spoiled milk. He carried a scy“The Pumpkin Man was in the woods.
He wore a funeral suit of black velvet and a black top hat. His face was as yellow as spoiled milk. He carried a scythe that glowed electric blue in the moonlight, and with a wave of one skeletal hand, he parted the underbrush before him. Those who had seen him and lived to tell the tale said his eyes shone like green lamps; his face was split by a cunning grin, his teeth sharpened to tiny points.”
Robert R. McCammon needs no introduction. The man is one of those rare writers with lasting power throughout the decades. There is a reason he is so beloved!
Usher’s Passing is a book I’ve had for years, however it wasn’t until I stumbled upon this edition with the Pumpkin Man on it at the used bookstore that I knew this would be an October read, without a doubt. I mean.. just look at how fucking delightful that cover is!
Originally published in 1984, this does feel slightly outdated. McCammon was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s short story, Fall of the House of Usher, which I decided to read before digging into this. It’s not necessary to read the short story in order to understand this novel, but it gave me an excuse to check it out since I hadn’t read it before.
Usher’s Passing answers the question of – what if the story didn’t end where Poe left it? What if there were descendants of the Usher clan to carry on the family name?
Usher’s Passing begins in New York in 1847 with Hudson Usher searching for the elusive Poe. He eventually does, confronting him regarding the short story he wrote and the malady they suffer, unique only to the Usher’s.
Then the story jumps ahead to the 80’s, where the current patriarch is dying from later stages of Usher’s Malady, a disease that ultimately kills every Usher. We follow his youngest son, Rix, as he returns home after many years away. Still heartbroken over his wife’s suicide, Rix is struggling with his writing career and having to face his fears back at Usherland.
Weaving it’s haunting thread throughout the Usher tale is the one about the people who live on Briartop Mountain, near Usherland. New and Nathan are brothers who are picking berries one day when Nathan goes missing. Feared to have been taken by the legendary Pumpkin Man, who, along with his black panther sidekick Greediguts (how can you not appreciate that name?!) has been suspected of kidnapping at least 300 children, taking them back to The Lodge and killing them.
My excitement levels increased tenfold once the bizarre Pumpkin Man was introduced, unsurprisingly!
But wait. There’s more!
Yet another overlapping subplot focuses on Raven Dunstan, a journalist for the town paper who is investigating the disappearances of children throughout the years. She is also the daughter of the publisher who is writing an exposé on the Usher family.
PHEW.
The various subplots, characters, flashbacks and diary entries makes for an unreasonably overcomplicated book, especially with it being just over 400 pages.
A dysfunctional family, telepathy, drug addiction, a Mountain King, hereditary disease, weapons of mass destruction and a murderous pumpkin. McCammon seemingly threw it all in, stirring it up in a pot of witches brew. Which I can’t help but appreciate. However, even with ALL THE THINGS, it didn’t take hold of me quite like I had hoped.
A fine atmospheric yarn with some fun plot developments, but ultimately a book that isn’t that memorable.
Still worth checking out, although I wouldn’t move it to the top of your McCammon TBR list!...more
“The thing’s mouth was open wide, as if it had unhinged like a snake’s. Inside were row after row of sharpened teeth, an obscenely pulsating tongue da“The thing’s mouth was open wide, as if it had unhinged like a snake’s. Inside were row after row of sharpened teeth, an obscenely pulsating tongue darting over them. Everything–the creature’s teeth, its lips, its cheeks–were stained red, smeared with blood, extravagant amounts of blood. Blood dripped from its chin, blood ran down its neck, soaked into its soiled white shirt. It twisted its head at them, gnashed its teeth, and blood flew in a speckled foam from it.”
This is just over 100 pages, so I’ll do my best to keep this short. And as much as I try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, please be warned that there may be a few in this if you haven’t read the previous two installments because it’s quite difficult to do when you’re elbows deep in the trenches. Alright?
Alright.
“The world was on fire, flames stretching across the landscape, receding into the distance. It looked as if they had driven directly to the gates of Hell.”
Air and Dust starts where Water and Wind left off, mainly focusing on Mark (the Reverend) and Monday (the mysterious amnesiac.) They find themselves at an abandoned military base, Camp Straggalot, with roughly 200 other survivors who have set up camps in tents and any other structures they were able to locate. They have no power, no cell phone signal, no radio and what little supplies they’ve managed to scrounge up aren’t going to last long. Plus there is the slight matter of Monday and the fact that she has no discernible injury and may or may not be telling the whole truth about what happened to her before the hurricane.
It was the worst of times, it was the end of times. Supervolcanoes, devil dogs, plagues, riots, tornadoes, planes falling from the sky, vampires, swamp monsters, floods, shadow people, werewolves, a thick band of darkness creeping across the land, murderous campers and even NAZIS. This is brutal, gory and oh-so demented! Goddamn.
These books read incredibly fast, not only because they are short, but the frenetic pacing is like a blunt force to the face. Over and over again. Although Air and Dust does slow down the action in the beginning, it never feels like there is a lull with the storytelling. Taff expertly moves pieces of the puzzle into place, carrying the story forward and building the anticipation of what is to come, but allowing the characters a moment to breathe.
Not only are these some of the best novellas I’ve ever read, but The Fearing is one of the most incredible apocalyptic stories out there!
Just.. hurry up and get The Fearing shoved into your eye holes already! What the hell have you been waiting for? The finale is coming next month!
(Big thanks to Grey Matter Press for sending me a copy!)
**The quotes above were taken from an ARC & are subject to change upon publication**...more
“Wood Tick wasn’t so much a town as it was a wide rip in the forest. The Reverend Jebidiah Mercer rode in on an ebony horse on a coolish autumn day be“Wood Tick wasn’t so much a town as it was a wide rip in the forest. The Reverend Jebidiah Mercer rode in on an ebony horse on a coolish autumn day beneath an overcast sky of humped up, slow-blowing, gun-metal-gray clouds; they seemed to crawl. It was his experience nothing good ever took place under a crawling sky. It was an omen, and he didn’t like omens, because, so far in his experience, none of them were good.”
Deadman’s Road is a collection of five stories featuring Reverend Jebidiah Mercer, a gun-toting, alcoholic preacher with a penchant for violence and hunting supernatural beings. Jeb reminded me of a mixture of Roland from Dark Tower and Jesse Custer from Preacher. He is struggling with his beliefs and finding it difficult to stay on a.. more honest path, one might say.
This is full of ALL THE BEASTIES!! Zombies, demons, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, kobolds and MOTHER FUCKING KILLER BEES! There is blood and brain splatter galore!
If you have yet to read a Lansdale novel (WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!) than I can’t help but think that this would be an excellent starting point. Especially if you are unsure if you would dig his style.
In typical Lansdale fashion, this is a wonderful amalgamation of genres – Western, horror, humor, fantasy, weird fiction and even a touch of unexpected romance. I’ve said it many times before and I’ll say it a shit ton more, undoubtedly.. no one writes dialogue like Joe Lansdale! He’s a fucking mad genius with his witty banter and sharp humor injected through everything he writes.
My favorite from this collection was Dead in the West, which is the first and longest story, made up of over half of the book. It’s this tale that defines the Reverend and why he is the way that he is. It gives you an idea of what you can expect going forward. Of the shorter stories, I loved The Dark Down There, the final adventure. These two bookends are the strongest, in my opinion. However, the middle sections are still great fun and sure to put you in a groovy mood!
Deadman’s Road is a delightfully pulpy, wickedly funny, satisfying read.
Saddle up, because you are in for one helluva ride!...more
Holly (The Grimdragon)
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Books:
horror-mystery-thriller
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