Monsters of Horror Book Group (Hackensack) - 2011 Books Read Thread

[Phil]

This is the Thread for Books Read by the Monsters of Horror Book Group in 2011:


HEXED............................................Kevin Hearne......................11/03/11
LADY LAZARUS...............................Michele Lang.......................10/06/11
NEKROPOLIS...................................Tim Waggoneer...................09/01/11
RIGHT HAND MAGIC........................Nancy Collins......................08/04/11
HAUNTED / Dark Delicacies 3............Howison & Gelb...................07/07/11
TURN COAT.....................................Jim Butcher.........................06/02/11
BLOOD BOUND................................Patricia Briggs.....................05/05/11
BLOODSUCKERS, Anthology..............Otto Penzler........................04/11/11
DEAD IN THE FAMILY.......................Charlaine Harris..................03/03/11
MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES..................Jessie Peterson...................02/03/11
BLOOD PRESSURE.............................Terence Taylor....................01/06/11

[Phil]

The following accounts are reprinted with permission from THE STARSHIP EXPRESS Copyright 2011Philip J De Parto.


HEXED, Iron Druid 2
The book is a contemporary fantasy about Atticus O'Sullivan, the last surviving Druid, who has used his magic to survive for nearly 2000 years. Along the way he has acquired a diverse array of friends, enemies and acquaintances including gods, immortals, vampires, werewolves witches and other esoteric beings, as well as those of a more mundane origin. Mr Hearne does a very nice job fleshing out his secondary characters. Highlights include Atticus' talk with the vampire Lief Heglerson about the importance of mastering the local idioms and the visits by the trickster god, Coyote. Recommended, though you'll get more out of it if you read HOUNDED first.

LADY LAZARUS, Lady Lazarus 1
The heroine is Magda Lazarus, a young Jewish witch working for a vampire in Budapest Hungry, whose younger sister has had a vision of the approaching Holocaust. Magda decides to reclaim their family's lost heirloom, THE BOOK OF RAZIEL, which can command an angel to do their bidding. But Magda is not the only one seeking the tome. Vampires, werewolves, witches, sorcerers and demons are soon aiding or opposing her quest.

I found the 1939 setting and the world building to be a refreshing change from the average fantasy novel. The author mixes real and fictional incidents and characters. I suspect the marketing people at Tor asked who the were going to be able to market the book and am glad that Tor went ahead and published it.

NEKROPOLIS, Matt Richter 1
The book is the frist in a series featuring zombie detective Matt Richter. Our hero plies his trade in the perilous streets of Nekropolis, a city in another dimension created by demons four centuries ago. The city was established because humans had become too clever and technologically advanced and were becoming hunters instead of the hunted by vampires, werewolves, demons and other supernaturals.

The work is reminiscent of Simon Green's Nightside books, with winks and homages to any number of movies and stories about dangerous creatures. Another charm is throwaways like "...a country vampire bar named Westerna's. I'll never forget the sight of vampires in cowboy hats, jeans, and boots line dancing--though I intend to spend the rest of my existence trying like hell (page 149)."

RIGHT HAND MAGIC, Golgotham 1
MAGIC is an urban fantasy which plays against many of the reader's expectations for the genre, which may be why it has been coolly received by readers. Phil, on the other hand, was happy to have a book which did not feature a leather-clad kick ass heroine who tumbles into bed with an incredibly hunky vampire and have pages of the most mind blowing sex in human history in chapter three.

The story is set in a parallel universe Manhattan. In this universe, the supernatural community has been outed by humanity and had to sue for peace. The magical ghetto (in the original sense of that word) is called the Golgotham. Tate, our heroine, takes a room at a house in the Golgotham because the room is really cheap ... and much bigger on the inside than on the outside. The romantic interest is the landlord, Hexe who stubbornly refuses to practice any form of left hand magic which is used for evil. Almost all magic practitioners perform left or right hand magic as the situation demands. But the few who adhere to only the left or the right hand side are especially effective with their curses or cures. Another bit of fun was visiting the blend of familiar and invented New York City streets and landmarks in this universe.

HAUNTED / Dark Delicacies 3
The volume contains 20 stories, as well as a forward by Steven Weber and an afterward by Del Howison.

One difficulty many theme anthologies encounter is repetition. The constraints of the topic may channel a number of writers to do minor variations of a particular theme. This collection did not demonstrate that problem. Indeed, I was surprised at the variety of settings the authors employed. Three of my top four stories are set in the present, but “Mist on the Bayou” (by Heather Graham) is set in rural Louisiana, “A Haunting” (by John Connolly) occurs in a nameless big city, and “The Architecture of Snow” (by David Morrell) alternates between Manhattan and rural Vermont. The forth, Ardath Mayhar’s “A Nasty Way to Go,” is set in rural Texas during the depression.

“Mist on the Bayou” features a ghost, a haunted house, a vampire and a psycho, but mixes them together in a way you would not expect. I particularly enjoyed the bayou atmosphere of this story. “A Haunting” is a bittersweet tale of an old widower and the woman he loved which would not have been out of place as a work by Bradbury or THE TWILIGHT ZONE. “A Nasty Way To Go” is a nicely underplayed southern gothic with the voice of a small town constable in Texas. “The Architecture of Snow” contrasts the genteel heritage of traditional publishing with the cutthroat corporate mindset of the present day industry.

I have enjoyed all three volumes in this series and will keep buying them as long at they keep printing them. Kudos to cover designer Annette Fiore DeFex.

TURN COAT, Dresden Files 11
The book is a mixed bag. In many ways it is one of the weakest novels in the series, with few memorable scenes. On the other hand, Butcher finally makes progress in advancing the overall story arc of the series, unveiling one of the members of the Black Council, killing a major character and ending two relationships with Harry Dresden. Lots of stuff happens, but it is not as involving as the other books.

BLOOD BOUND, Mercy Thompson 2
Mercy is a Native American shape shifter, one of the few native supernaturals who survived the invasion of European supernaturals (such as vampires) who came over with the human colonists. A debt of honor requires her to accompany a vampire to a meeting with another, much more sinister, vampire. The second vampire has been possessed by a demon and has the nastiness of both creatures. Werewolves and other supernaturals are soon drawn into the stew. While it's not quite up to the standards of the first book, BLOOD BOUND is still and enjoyable, rewarding read.

BLOODSUCKERS, Anthology
This is one of three paperbacks to reissue Penzler's mammoth THE VAMPIRE ARCHIVES reprint horror anthology. Stephen King, Tanith Lee, Dan Simmons and Bram Stoker are among the 20 authors in this volume. The book also features and introduction by Penzler and a preface by Neil Gaiman. The most unorthodox selection was the John Keats poem, La Belle Dame Sans Merci.

DEAD IN THE FAMILY, Sookie Stackhouse 10
This is one of the author's stronger recent efforts and certain scenes, like Sookie's bullying-into-action-a-despondent-Eric-Northman near the end, were particularly well handled.

MARRIED WITH ZOMBIES, Living with the Dead 1
The book relates the story of Sarah and David (no last name given) whose troubled marriage takes a turn for the better when the dead rise and the pair save each other’s lives a number of times. The book strikes a nice balance on the issue of competence, with the couple managing to make their share of mistakes without coming off as morons. It is a pleasant enough page turner and the first in the author’s Living with the Dead series.

BLOOD PRESSURE, Vampire Testament 2
BLOOD PRESSURE is a contemporary vampire novel set in New York City 20 years after the events in BITE MARKS. The survivors of the first book, vampire and human, return and new characters are introduced.

The vampire community of New York knows only one rule: Cover your tracks and don’t let humans discover that vampires are real. Unfortunately, the disruptions by the rouge vampires of BITE MARKS were too big to cover up. While the average man-in-the-street is unaware of the existence of vampires, certain high level government and private security operatives not only are aware that vampires exist, but have developed an array of sophisticated anti-vampire devices. They are only waiting for the proper moment to use them. The anti-vampire forces make their move during the annual meeting of the leaders of the New York City vampire community, capturing nearly every Master Vampire in the city.

This sets in motion a complicated series of strikes and counter strikes. Old foes must join forces. Allies turn against each other. Bad guys reform. Good guys turn to the dark side. The book has a clear ending, but the stage is being set for the third book in the series which will be set 20 years in the future and pit the forces of two super vampires against each other. I am certain BLOOD PRESSURE will make my best reads of 2011 list.