Thursday, June 30, 2016
Review: Mommy, there's something under my bed.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
For those who don't think a short story can really have the powerful horror impact of a novel or novella, give this one a try. I think my hair stood on end, and I certainly got chills. The best part of the twist is its unexpectedness--and its implacability. A polished gem, indeed.
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Review: Haunted Cruise: The Shakedown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review of HAUNTED CRUISE: THE SHAKEDOWN by Tanya R. Taylor
HAUNTED CRUISE: THE SHAKEDOWN, by the author of CORNELIUS and REVENGE OF CORNELIUS, is populated with some really strong characters, and alternatively some distinctly off-the-wall and/or repulsive characters. I almost think the plotting takes a back seat to the characterizations, which is fine with me as a reader. Definitely the horror element is on the gory side, but when the reader discovers the proximate cause of the manifestation, she or he will nod wisely thinking, "Oh, so that's why!" Ms. Taylor ties up that effect and cause neatly, in a taut retribution scenario. Perhaps best of all from my point of view, there is Character Evolution!
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Review: The Wells Of Hell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of THE WELLS OF HELL by Graham Masterton
I read this novel immediately after reading the author's totally excellent FIRE SPIRIT, so I went from "burning" to "drowning." Both books are superb. Gory, yes; extreme, yes; but such wonderful character development and plotting. THE WELLS OF HELL particularly impressed me with its nods to H.P. Lovecraft, and the weaving in of Lovecraft's Cthulhu and the Elder Gods. Indeed, the author's explication of pre-history, of Atlantis, and the Elder Gods who once ruled Earth, actually makes logical sense--one may or may not choose to believe, but it is all presented in a way that makes the reader ponder, "Well, just maybe that could have happened." So the novel was at once realistic and horrifying. The protagonist, Mason Prentiss, is a gem of a character, as are several of the supporting (I can't say secondary, because they're important too) characters.
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Review: The Printer From Hell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of THE PRINTER FROM HELL by Amy Cross
I've been reading Amy Cross' wonderful horror since I discovered THE GHOSTS OF LONDON. This story is gory (more than I expected, and it qualifies as "horror extreme.") It is also virtually unforgettable. The next day after my one-sitting read I kept talking to household members about it (or at least alluding to it: "Be careful of that printer. Are you sure you want to use that printer? It might be a Portal!") Needless to say, this story of a poor feckless spouse who just wants to be a proud decisionmaker and acquire the respect of his wife and young son, only to fall into misery, despair, and loss, quite strongly affected me.
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Review: Seven Deadly Tales of Terror
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of SEVEN DEADLY TALES by Bryan D. Smith
I have been reading this author for a while, and he is one of my "turn-to" authors for horror extreme, so when I discovered this collection and learned that six of the tales are new, I was overjoyed. Rightfully so, because these are kickin' tales, each one of which will leave a hook in the mind, stirring memories of the characters and events long after the last page has been turned.
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Review: Haunted Cruise: The Shakedown
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Review of HAUNTED CRUISE: THE SHAKEDOWN by Tanya R. Tucker
HAUNTED CRUISE: THE SHAKEDOWN, by the author of CORNELIUS and REVENGE OF CORNELIUS, is populated with some really strong characters, and alternatively some distinctly off-the-wall and/or repulsive characters. I almost think the plotting takes a back seat to the characterizations, which is fine with me as a reader. Definitely the horror element is on the gory side, but when the reader discovers the proximate cause of the manifestation, she or he will nod wisely thinking, "Oh, so that's why!" Ms. Tucker ties up that effect and cause neatly, in a taut retribution scenario. Perhaps best of all from my point of view, there is Character Evolution!
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Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2016
Review: Siren
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of SIREN by Celina Grace (Kate Redman Mystery #9)
I always enjoy this series because author Celina Grace has such a smooth, conversational, style, sort of in the cozy-mystery vein, yet with deeper understanding of character and some really ingenious plotting. In this newest, for example, a suspenseful opening leads to the discovery of the corpse of an upper-middle-class English entrepreneur, a man with a loving wife and three children and a sizable residence, in a compromising and very unpretty situation. While Kate Redman, her Detective Superintendent, and the others on the homicide team are tossed into the investigation, racking up long hours, viewing CCTV tapes, and conducting numerous interviews, all the team still have to maintain their personal lives and relationships, and their relations in terms of the team as an entirety and as individuals. So while this is a police procedural series, it is also much more, a series with real characters in real lives. I don't often say this, but I think the Kate Redman series would be an outstanding, long-running, television series if well casted.
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Review: Fire Spirit
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of FIRE SPIRIT by Graham Masterton
An acknowledged long-term master of the macabre delivers one of his absolute best in FIRE SPIRIT, an electrifying horror novel that will not just curl your hair, but ignite it. The world as you know it, the world of the living, is backdropped by Hell, which is a place of torment but not the destination only of the wicked. According to this storyline, Hell contains Nine Circles, which are populated by souls according to the nature of their demise. For example, the Ninth Circle contains burn deaths, the Eighth Circle drownings, and those are the two we are concerned with here.
Now a caution: if you are at all over-empathetic or don't like horror extremes, take a miss. FIRE SPIRIT is full-on gore, in detail, and contains multiple scenes of ugly, brutal violence, horrifying deaths, and abuse (adult and minor). If you've read Mr. Masterton before, you know that often he doesn't scruple with the violence and horror. I'd estimate that FIRE SPIRIT is every bit as extreme, perhaps more so, than MASTER OF LIES.
Barring that, this novel is so well written, the characters are so expanded (multiple characters--the secondary players are not just stage mannequins, but really developed), the metaphysics is so well explained, even to the very rational arson investigators, and the plot line is tautly developed. I was immediately caught up in the story and unable to set it aside. For fans of Graham Masterton and aficionados of well-played extreme horror, this is a win-win.
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Friday, June 24, 2016
Review: Blister
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of BLISTER by Jeff Strand
This captivating horror tale is a finely-polished piece of writing, with endearing characters who unravel themselves and expose their motivations rather than waiting for the author to explain them and why they are as they are.
Jason Tray is an accomplished and popular cartoonist; well, his art is popular--his persona, not so much so. He has a wicked sense of humour, and not a lot of moral integrity, or moral fiber. Ironically, his attempt to actually act with high character, while vacationing at his agent's cabin in Georgia, sets off a chain reaction of ugly events and revelations.
I fully enjoyed this very fast-paced and gratifyingly twisted tale.
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Review: Stolen Aaway
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of Stolen Away by Kristin Dearborn
I've been reading Kristin Dearborn for a while, because once I started, I couldn't stop (go find out for yourself). STOLEN AWAY is a rocket into horror extreme, ground-mine-laden with demonic assault, killings, gore, and other factors of what lies underneath consensus reality. The demons in this talre have the ability common to Fae in legend: they are able to produce a glamour, or illusion, at will, and use it to great effect (only to their benefit, of course). They are also hateful, lustful, greedy, sadistic, and oh yes, completely self-centered and self-absorbed. You think you've encountered Narcissistic humans? [Well, of course you have.} Just wait till you read about this bunch (demons). The humans, on the other hand, actually manage character evolution. [Don't laugh, it's kind of rare in fiction, in my viewpoint.] i was surprised to find I quickly developed empathy for them, though many times I wanted to shake some sense into them.
I rate STOLEN AWAY at 18+ for profanity, sexuality, rape, assault, killing, and gore.
5 Stars
Disclaimer: I read an advanced digital copy provided by the author and publicist solely for review purposes, without exchange of remuneration. This review constitutes my honest and impartial opinion.
Trisha will admit she's made a few mistakes in her life but that checkered past is behind her. She loves her kids, even if it's tough being a single mom. But her loyalties are put to the test when her infant son disappears in the middle of the night, and his big sister says a monster took him.
Now Trisha has to face the full truth behind the one-night-stand that produced Brayden in all its scaly torridness – Brayden's father wasn't human and isn't interested in sharing custody. However, even though DEMON has pulled this stunt many times before, he made a mistake when he chose Trisha. The one thing she won't do is give up her son without a fight. Along with her ex-boyfriend, Joel, Trisha is dragged back into the seedy underworld in a desperate fight to reclaim her son, only this time she's got a lot more to lose.
Biography
If it screams, squelches, or bleeds, Kristin Dearborn has probably written about it. Kristin haswritten books such as Sacrifice Island (DarkFuse), Trinity (DarkFuse), and had fiction published in several magazines and anthologies. Stolen Away was recently a limited edition offered from Thunderstorm Books, which sold out.
She revels in comments like, “But you look so normal…how do you come up with that stuff?” A life-long New Englander, she aspires to the footsteps of the local masters, Messrs. King andLovecraft. When not writing or rotting her brain with cheesy horror flicks (preferably creature features!) she can be found scaling rock cliffs or zipping around Vermont on a motorcycle, or gallivanting around the globe. Kristin’s latest DarkFuse release is Woman in White.
Find more about Kristin online at kristindearborn.com or Facebook.
Praise for Kristin Dearbon
“Horror born straight from a nor’easter, Dearborn’s Woman in White is a great read for a winter night—with a monster I’ll never forget.” —Christopher Irvin, author of Federales and Burn Cards
“Kristin Dearborn’s Woman in White is a rip-roaring monster tale with sharp-eyed characterization and something to say about the power dynamics between men and woman. Thought-provoking and entertaining as hell!” —Tim Waggoner, author of Eat the Night
“Great stuff! Suspenseful, quickly paced, unpredictable and wonderfully evil tale. Kristin Dearborn’s best yet!” —Jeff Strand, author of Pressure
“Dearborn has a wonderful sense of the macabre, along with the ability to balance the spookier aspects of her work with well-rendered, solid characterizations…Sacrifice Island is a blazing fast read, with engaging characters and a compelling narrative.” —The Maine Edge
“Sacrifice Island is a fresh and interesting take on a tried and true horror setup.” —Examiner
Purchase Links
Want to Feature Kristin Dearborn?
If you would like a copy of the book for review or to conduct an interview with Kristin Dearborn, please contact Erin Al-Mehairi, Publicist, at Hook of a Book Media:hookofabook@hotmail.com.
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Wednesday, June 22, 2016
Sunday, June 19, 2016
Review: Cold Sanctuary
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of COLD SANCTUARY by Anthony M. Strong
(John Decker #2)
Wow!! I loved the first book in this series, WHAT VENGENANCE COMES, but I love this one even more! Might be because this is set in Alaska, not Louisiana, and focuses on biohazards and genetic engineering instead of curses and Loup Garou, but it was a very rapid one-sitting, nonstop reading experience with lots of excitement, adventure, and suspense. Mr. Strong has a talented way with a tale, and while allowing the local populace and perhaps some of his readers to suspect a possible mythological creature come to life, instead he points us in the direction of Dr. Frankenstein, reenacted as it were. I'm not sure I want to fall asleep after reading COLD SANCTUARY, but I'm very glad I read it. My imagination has been totally ignited.
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Friday, June 17, 2016
Review: Revenge of Cornelius
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of REVENGE OF CORNELIUS by Tanya R. Taylor
Now this author rocks. I read CORNELIUS last evening, and immediately followed it with the sequel, REVENGE OF CORNELIUS, today. Hmmhmmhmm. Tanya Taylor knows how to elicit readers' emotions and make our heartstrings both thrum like a harp and weep bitter tears. Following the first book, in which a yearning ghost from slavery times appears to a young girl, asking for help to find her missing love, the ghost's killer reawakens to brutally haunt and terrorize a young black family who have purchased and renovated his long-abandoned plantation house. I found my emotional range stretched in multiple directions by these two books, which I might even classify as paranormal women's literature. [better yet, good human literature!]
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Review: Charnel House
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review: CHARNEL HOUSE by Graham Masterson
The Emperor of Horror never disappoints. CHARNEL HOUSE is scary, spooky, and Implacable, not to mention dangerous [for the characters and eventually for humanity]. Based on actual Native American mythology and spirituality, the plot focuses on the return of the world's worst demon: Coyote. Banished underground for millennia, Coyote decides the time to return is at hand...Woe to humanity!!
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Thursday, June 16, 2016
Review: Cornelius
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review of Cornelius by Tanya Taylor
Okay, people, bring it on! I loved this tale! The book cover image of the abandoned house enraptured me, then the first mention of a plantation slaveowner ignited me, and I just raced through the book, turning the virtual pages as fast as my eyes could keep up. Yes, indeed--the very first instance of a haunted house story making me cry. I've been reading of hauntings since I was almost too tiny to hold a book, but I don't remember but once being this heart-touched. Wow! Must proceed to the sequel!
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Wednesday, June 15, 2016
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Review: Transmission: A Supernatural Thriller
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review: TRANSMISSION by Ambrose Ibsen
I have admired the writings of Ambrose Ibsen for quite some time now, but I truly think that with his newest story, TRANSMISSION, he has outdone even the high standards he reached in earlier books. The tale of two feckless University of Wisconsin students during Winter Break, TRANSMISSION is a story of obsession, manifestation, purpose, and a very, very dark realm which some on the earthly [living] plane can reach. It is also at core a narrative of sheer intransigence, of Will so powerful that it overcomes all obstacles, and will let nothing and no one interfere. This book went so fast the pages almost burnt themselves out--but the terror is relentless, and the ending--do not read after dark if alone!
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Sit Down and Write July 2016
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Friday, June 10, 2016
Review: Run to Ground
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review: RUN TO GROUND by Jasper Bark
Kudos again to Crystal Lake Publishing, for always delivering superlative dark fiction and horror, and to extreme author Jasper Bark, whose creative talent always rocks my Imagination. RUN TO GROUND includes the title story and the story "How the Dark Bleeds" plus two chapters of Mr. Bark' s immensely wonderful extreme novel THE FINAL CUT. These two stories elucidate two types of mythological (or are they real?) Entities found only in Ancient Britain. Both are real eye-openers. For aficionados of the outer limits of Horror, these are not to be missed.
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Review: The Witch Tree
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Review: THE WITCH TREE by Karin Kaufman
[Anna Denning Mystery #1]
A really engrossing mystery which kept me captivated throughout, THE WITCH TREE is not a paranormal, but a clean Christian mystery with a lot of emphasis on where one's faith is placed. The protagonist is a very empathetic widowed genealogist in small town Colorado. This novel commences the Anna Denning Mystery series, and I can't wait to continue.
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