Simply gorgeous edition with a separate bound book with a longer interview of the two illustrators. The artwork is amazing and the entire package is jSimply gorgeous edition with a separate bound book with a longer interview of the two illustrators. The artwork is amazing and the entire package is just stunning. Love it....more
So, this ended up being my last read finished in 2023 and if I’d have read it earlier, it would’ve definitely made it onto my Year-End-Best-Of list.
ThSo, this ended up being my last read finished in 2023 and if I’d have read it earlier, it would’ve definitely made it onto my Year-End-Best-Of list.
This novel has been suggested to me a few dozen times and a lot of readers who’s opinions I trust and have similar reading enjoyments as myself have raved about it. But for a long time, I was kind of hesitant to dive in for one sort of lame reason. The cover. Honestly, this cover has never done it for me and even after reading the novel, I find the cover to be bland and lacking. I’m not sure if it was a ‘mass market’-type decision to appeal to as many potential readers as possible (which, hey, is often what all writers want, right?), but this one doesn’t scream read me. It doesn’t scream – CRAZINESS AHEAD. It kind of screams ‘last minute’ and ‘meh, this will do.’
But, when I was looking to finish my year off with a horror novel firmly wrapped together with sci-fi, this one’s synopsis fit the bill and I was kind of hoping I’d end up in a Splice movie type situation. And while we didn’t go there, this one does go in some really great directions.
What I liked: The story follows shit father, Joe, who works for a clandestine organization. He is in charge of a secret place that is using doped up people to get intelligence from around the world. The place is deep underground and he’s unable to discuss what he does with anyone from the outside world. He works long hours and focuses solely on his job and the perfection of the job. Which is administering a special cocktail of nerve stimulants to ‘tune’ these prisoners to retrieve this information.
Payne does a really solid job of setting the stage. We get the ‘why’ of Joe’s divorce, his estranged relationship with his teen daughter Riley and as the first quarter of the novel goes along, we get some hints about things starting to turn and Riley struggling with seeing something. This occurs after an incident with her mother and soon enough the novel goes from a jog to a sprint for the remaining 50%.
The location of this one is perfect. While it isn’t fleshed out with full schematic blueprints for us, it is described enough in bare-bones details to have our imaginations fill in the blanks. The same goes to the people they use. Heads shaved, hospital gowns stained and emaciated bodies abound.
What begins as a moral-testing story of how far should we go to get intelligence that can prevent huge world events, turns into a story of survival. Of Joe wanting to do whatever he can to save his daughter Riley from both the organization as well as from those who have been mistreated and experimented on.
The ending is essentially three parts. The first is the wrap up of the events in the underground lab. The second is the ‘epilogue’ of how the survivor continues on. And the third is the true epilogue which in itself made for a fantastically dark and bleak short story and could potentially see more of this world in the future.
Payne kept me completely captivated throughout and the blending of sci-fi and horror was pitch perfect.
What I didn’t like: Throughout, Joe is portrayed as a callous, asshole of a dad who never cared to be there for his daughter and even shares a few memories of when he chose work over her or spending time with his ex-wife and his daughter. It made it tough, for me at least, to completely believe that he had this sudden change of heart once Riley was involved. It was even shown a few times that his ‘love’ for her was shallow, when instead of staying with her, he up and left to return to work.
Why you should buy this: As I mentioned, this novel gallops along and was a great mix of horror, sci-fi and had some amazingly brutal and graphic moments. A lot of it reminded me of how a graphic novel would’ve rolled out and the action sequences and layers of government interference and involvement was great.
Payne has definitely hit a home run with this one and I think it’s a novel that will have a long, long shelf life as many new readers discover it....more
As someone who doesn’t spend much time online looking specifically at creepypastas, I’ve found it fascinating – and amazing – how much of them become As someone who doesn’t spend much time online looking specifically at creepypastas, I’ve found it fascinating – and amazing – how much of them become part of the horror community lore and eventually, we get a novelization of some sort around them. Take Jeremy Bates’ ‘The Sleep Experiment,’ or novels based on Slender Man. And even recently, Trevor Henderson, creator of a number of creepypasta creatures released his own novel, ‘Scarewaves,’ and while it didn’t have Siren Head or Long Horse or Cartoon Cat, he did create some new spooky things to run amok.
One of the most commonly known or popular creepypastas has been The Backrooms. According to the web, it was first shared in 2019, but exploded in popularity in 2022, when a short film was made and shared widely. Kane Parsons, who made that short, is now in the process of making a full-length feature film about it, and I’m excited to see what he does. I actually remember when I first came across his short film. Author Stephen Graham Jones had shared it on his Twitter page and mentioned how unnerving it was. I watched it and was held within its magic. It was fantastic. Now, for those who don’t know what The Backrooms are, it is a place that was ‘discovered’ within a seemingly normal looking building, or below a building, or within a parallel void of some sort, made up completely of bare, sparse rooms and hallways. A lot of the area looks identical throughout and as the person within moves further, often strange shadows will be seen, noises heard or creatures appear.
Which leads us to Matt Wildasin’s novella, ‘The Backrooms.’ I’ll admit, when it was announced, I was super excited to see what Matt did with this concept, but that excitement soon soured when it was shared it was an epistolary based story. As you may have read in previous reviews, I struggle with that format, so I didn’t dive in right away. But over this year, of 2023, I read a few epistolary stories that I really enjoyed. So, with the year coming to a close, I decided to jump in and see what worlds Wildasin created.
What I liked: The story takes place shortly after Y2K. For those of us old enough to remember – there was a palpable fear around the end of the 90’s when an uncertainty was proposed regarding computer functions when the clock ticked over and we went from 1999 to 2000. What would happen with the coding? Would planes fall from the sky? Would we have nuclear meltdowns?
Wildasin posits that this is EXACTLY what happened. That when the clock ticked over, life as we knew it came to an end and every citizen that lived was no longer a real body, but a binary code, existing in a simulation. But some of those codes ACTUALLY woke up, and those few who did, found themselves in a place where the halls looked the same, the rooms looked the same and they understood they’d arrived at The Backrooms.
Told through letters left behind in case someone else finds them, we follow two different characters as they try and navigate their way through the labyrinth of hallways they’ve awoken in, finding clues, strange mechanical creatures and that some rooms don’t change. It makes for a claustrophobic experience, one that pulls the reader deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole as we try to make heads or tails over what is actually going on.
The final third reminded me a lot of the sci-fi movie ‘Cube’ (actually a lot of this book reminded me of that movie!) with some unique twists and unexpected developments. It all led to an ending that seemed very prescient if you’re a person who believes that we do really live in a computer simulation and nothing that happens around us is real.
What I didn’t like: While it was suggested as epistolary, I’d actually counter that and say it’s more of a first person retelling of events, just labelled as letters, which made for an easy time for my brain.
What I wasn’t a huge fan of was all the coding stuff. It made sense in the context of the story and the way the events of Y2 happened, etc., but as someone who isn’t super techy when it comes to code and binary stuff, I wasn’t sure how it would work and if something was discovered, if it was a big deal or not.
Why you should buy this: Overall, I did have a lot of fun with this one, even if I did find at times it didn’t seem to fully grasp the environment around it and a lot of the possibilities or where it could go simply didn’t go anywhere.
This was a fast-paced read, very compulsive and ultimately one that asks some big questions and forces the reader to answer a few on their own....more
I’ve been honored and fortunate to forge an acquaintance with Laird Barron, and I’m certain that if not for geographical restrictions, a true friendshI’ve been honored and fortunate to forge an acquaintance with Laird Barron, and I’m certain that if not for geographical restrictions, a true friendship would arrive between the two of us. I’ll never know truly the how, but randomly one day, early on over on Twitter, I had a notification and it said Laird Barron was now following you. I’ll admit – my consumption of Laird’s work has been shamefully minor, only a few short stories here and there – and because of that, I wasn’t fully aware of how monumentally impactful and inspirational Laird is within the horror world. It was through reading this novel that I was introduced to his mythology, the Old Leech and the Limbless Ones and the Children of Old Leech. I was so involved in what he was creating within the pages of ‘The Croning’ that I had to Google it and see if it was based on anything within history, but only discovered this was completely his doing.
If you’re a fan of cosmic horror and phenomenal mythology, look no further.
What I liked: The book opens with a retelling of a very famous fairy tale, which at first I was a bit confused by, but once you get through the entirety of the novel, it made total sense.
After that introduction, the novel focuses on Don, husband to Michelle and father to twins. We soon begin to see that his wife is an ‘odd duck’ in the sense that she is from an well-to-do family and her scientific studies fall into the ‘conspiracy theory’ realm of Hollow Earth and Hidden Little People.
But, as Don’s story soon unravels and we learn more and more about his experiences, we soon begin to see that maybe there is something to Michelle’s pursuits.
The final quarter of this novel is a sprint. The first three quarters is a slow-burn, chess match set up getting the pieces in place. All specifically to get us to the point of Don being sent to a strange geological discovery and all the chess moves have efficiently gotten you to the starting line for the 100m sprint at the Olympic Games. Because, when Don arrives, everything goes off the rails and Barron has the readers wrapped in the chaotic palm of his hand.
The ending is fantastic and took all the clues given earlier and like domino’s, knocks them down, one at a time. We get all the gooey bits with all the historical high notes that were needed and it’s once again brought back around to the fairy tale beginning.
What I didn’t like: I’ll admit, there were times were I contemplated DNFing this one. There are some very slow, dry and sluggish moments in the first half. As it begins to really unravel, it makes sense, but when something happens and we get pretty much zero answers at that time – looking at you Mexican trip – it becomes frustrating. Barron makes sure to tease enough to keep those devoted following along, but I fear those moments may be enough to cause some folks to tap.
Why you should buy this: Between his short stories and this novel, Barron has already created a legion of fans and a mythos that is extensive and utterly, fucking captivating. Old Leech and all around it have hooked into my brain and I’ll want to be exploring much more of his work surrounding it.
If you’ve not read any Barron yet, this one starts slow, but takes off and never comes down from there. It really ends with some of the most engrossing and unnerving moments you’ll ever read....more
Huge, huge thanks to Joseph and Blood Bound Books for sending me an early eARC of this one. After how much I loved book one, I was eagerly awaiting thHuge, huge thanks to Joseph and Blood Bound Books for sending me an early eARC of this one. After how much I loved book one, I was eagerly awaiting the news for book two, so I shouted like Joaquin Phoenix’s character in Signs when he first saw the footage of the alien at the birthday party, when the email came through.
Now, as I said before my review of book one, I wasn’t too familiar with Robert W. Chambers The King in Yellow mythology. Saying that, I knew bits and pieces, but I wouldn’t have been able to describe to you in any meaningful way what Carcosa looked like or really was or any of the key figures. In book one, Sale does a wonderful job of doing that, while also introducing us to Alan, a man seeking a better place for him, having grown to loathe earth and when he finds the way in, he gets in completely.
With book two, I was looking forward to seeing where Sale went with it.
Saying ALL of that – from here on, it may be spoiler-ish for book one, so tread carefully if you’ve not read the first one yet. But you should. It was on my list of the best books of the year for a reason.
What I liked: I WARNED YOU – SPOILERS AHEAD!!
So, book one ended with a few things. Alan possessed the claw of craving, firmly formed onto his arm. He had developed a connection with Cassilda, and her sister Cali, had betrayed them all and was fleeing back to Carcosa to help fall the city and end her father’s life.
We pick up there, with the four – Alan, Cass, LeBarron and Petruccio heading to the mythical city of Alar, looking for answers and a way to stop Cali.
Look, I can’t state this enough and I think I’ve been saying this in every review of Sale’s books I’ve done since the first book I read of his – but nobody out there has his gift of imagination and description. Many writers have the imagination. Many have the mastery of prose. But none of them can put the two together like Sale can and I’d honestly fight anyone to the death over the fact that he is both criminally underrated and under read. Once again here, much like book one, we get a solid story that cinematically rivals the greatest fantasy writers of all time. Pick any writer – most recently would be Martin or Rothfuss I’d guess – and what Sale’s done here is bigger in scope and depth. He just doesn’t fill pages and pages of story with descriptions of food – looking at you Martin. Couple that with the Chambers mythology fully formed and realized and you can taste the air, smell the stench and feel the ground underfoot as we go from Alar, back to Carcosa for the last stand of the mighty tower.
The last quarter of this rivals any of the big battles we encounter in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings world, massive creatures, thousands of undead and blood and shredding in every sentence. The difference here, between Sale’s books and those masters – the horror element. Sale’s mind is firmly entrenched in the horror world and as such we get darker turns, betrayal and lascivious moments that would make even the most depraved master blush.
It all comes to a head at the end, first we see what happens with Cali and then the aftermath, which sets things up for a third book. I’m elated that we’ll be getting more, as at first I thought this was purely a two series set, and I was worried Sale would have to rush through this one to get to a solid conclusion.
What I didn’t like: Having just read book one not long ago, the main characters were completely fresh in my mind. Saying that, the secondary characters not so much. A refresher at the beginning I think would’ve been great and I think something almost necessary when dealing with fiction that has the scope that this one does.
Why you should buy this: I’ve had this conversation with Joseph in the past, but I feel like he’s a writer currently writing in the wrong decade or even century. I think if he was releasing this stuff in the 60s and 70s, awards would be named after him and entire magazines would be devoted to his mythology and imagination. I suspect in another thirty or forty years we’ll be seeing this happening, but I hope beyond hope that these books take up the mantle NOW and more and more reviewers latch on to what he’s crafting and give him the praise he so rightly deserves.
As for this novel, once again, Sale has sold his soul to a god elsewhere who watches through the thin crack in the veil, allowing him to deliver a knock out. This story, these characters and this world was made for Sale to play in and he’s having a blast doing just that.
An absolute beast that is a must-read for all horror fans....more
*Huge thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for having this set to ‘Read Now’ for me!*
Recently, while scrolling through Netgalley, looking to see if a*Huge thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for having this set to ‘Read Now’ for me!*
Recently, while scrolling through Netgalley, looking to see if anything had been added that I’d hope to be approved for, a cover caught my attention in the Sci-fi and Fantasy category. It was the one for this book, featuring an attractive looking woman gently caressing the chin of a dinosaur. I was intrigued. She was wearing a skimpy little red number and the dinosaur looked amazing.
Now, two caveats here. The first is that I generally dislike Christmas fiction – no matter the genre. The second, is that I typically steer FAR away from the romance world. Nothing wrong with it, but I want my love story to involve survival, creatures, and a never ending blackness. All things not typically within the romance genre.
BUT – I thought, you know what? Maybe this will be a fun read. Maybe this will be the palette cleanser between two horror reads and I’ll have a good time.
And you know what?
I did.
What I liked: The story follows Holly, now living in Chicago, dating douchebag Thad, and wondering just where the happiness in her life went. She should have it all. Thad’s super rich, his family is even richer and she’s living a life many would dream of. But she suspects Thad’s stringing her along. That the reasons she isn’t invited to some functions and trips is because there’s someone else and with no proposal appearing to be imminent, she wonders what would happen if she was to end it.
As Christmas approaches, Thad leaves to go on a boys skiing trip, leaving Holly alone for the holidays, so she heads back to see her parents in Utah.
It’s here where Faust sprinkles the story with some background. As humans discovered dinosaurs still alive, they also found they were smart and some could communicate. Those who met the criteria where given the chance to join into human society – go to school, get jobs, develop a culture. Oddly, I never expected a topical and socioeconomic metaphor to play out in a story about a woman who loves a dinosaur, but there we were and even though Faust doesn’t linger on it, it sets the stage for things further down the line.
So, it’s here that Holly remembers the days where she fell in love with Rocky, the Utahraptor. He attended her school and they became fast friends, but neither was willing to take it to the next level. Not until they reconnect and Holly realizes that everything she’s been wanting and missing, she can have, with Rocky.
This novella was an easy one-sitting read and it felt completely like I was watching a Hallmark Christmas movie, just with a dinosaur. The ending is exactly what you’d expect to happen and as much as it pains me to type this out, was a very sweet ending.
What I didn’t like: Well, honestly, I had a lot of fun with this one, but saying that, everything was surface level for the depth of emotions and descriptions. I think if this had been lengthened, we could’ve had a deeper experience where we see how Holly’s father turns his views around to accept Rocky, or how Thad’s behavior really effected Holly and she took some time to process it. As a base story, though, this was fun.
I will mention though – and mild spoiler here – if you don’t want to read about a woman and a Utahraptor getting it on, you’ll probably want to skip that part.
Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for a quick, adorable story of a woman realizing she’s better off without her asshole boyfriend and wants to return to her true love, no matter what society says, look no further.
Faust makes you immediately root for Holly and when her and Rocky reconnect, sparks fly from the page. Overall, a really sweet, Holiday story, one that would be perfect to read after the kids have gone to bed and Santa’s delivered all the presents....more
First – a huge thanks to Tim for posting about this book. And what I mean specifically, is that, as a 100% completely digital reader, when this came oFirst – a huge thanks to Tim for posting about this book. And what I mean specifically, is that, as a 100% completely digital reader, when this came out, I was a bit dismayed that it was only in hardcover. Both because if I bought it, I’d probably never get to it, and when I looked, shipping was horrible to Canada. It’s no different anywhere else, but for this reader, I decided to hold off and wait for an ebook release and when Tim posted that it was available in digital through PS Publishing, I immediately snagged.
If you’ve not read Tim’s work before, boy are you in for a treat. Tim has a timeless nature of how he crafts his stories. While his work is traditionally horror or sci-fi, he paints his prose with what I would describe as a speculative/fantasy brush. For lack of a better way of saying it – his writing is beautiful and compulsive.
And this novella fits that bill so very perfectly.
What I liked: The story follows Rose, 103 years old and potentially the last person alive on earth. She lives in the settlement of Pantelle, where she’s lived since the world we know collapsed and nature began to reclaim everything. She knows she’s at the end of her life, so she’s putting things down onto paper, in case someday someone else should come across her musings.
The story she shares is fascinating and heartbreaking. Of a woman who has outlived every person she’s ever loved and cared for, and a woman who was there when the first bloom was found.
What Lebbon’s created with the characters/figures referred to as ‘blooms’ is magical. What starts out as a strange, plant-like growth in the forest, becomes a flower-like creature that can walk on its roots and move freely throughout the forests. The people fear a strange beast called ‘scorers’ a metal-like thing that hunts the old roads, but the blooms seem to not be on their radar.
As the story progresses, Tim does such an amazing job of layering the story with a mixture of sorrow and hope. Sorrow over Rose’s realization that her time left is growing less and less. Hope for the future. For what life will be like on earth when all of the humans are gone and the planet can relax, knowing our destructive ways have ended.
What I didn’t like: It’s funny, because in my writing life, I’m 100% guilty of this as well, but there were parts I just wished for more of, or more about. More about what happened. More about the scorers. More about the bloom’s. But Tim has stitched this together so pristinely that to expand upon any of that would take away a lot of the beauty this story shares.
Why you should buy this: As I mentioned, Tim’s writing is just so very powerful to read. I have his next novel, ‘The Last Storm,’ already on my Kindle, but I decided to jump into this first and it was a perfect reminder of just how phenomenal Tim’s storytelling is.
If you’re looking a powerful, one-sitting read that’ll have you emotionally destroyed – look no further. I wish I would’ve read this sooner, as it’d easily be on my year end Best-Of list....more
Huge thanks to John for sending me a digital copy of this one!
Over the last number of years, I’ve had the joy of watching John’s writing progress. FroHuge thanks to John for sending me a digital copy of this one!
Over the last number of years, I’ve had the joy of watching John’s writing progress. From his first short stories, through to now, his progression and dedication to his craft have been amazing and with the ever-growing list of die-hard fans he’s accumulating, it warms my heart to know others see it too.
With this, his newest release, a Christmas-themed, extreme release, I was excited to see what hijinks he got up to and more importantly, I was excited to see if his take on Christmas horror would be something I’d enjoy, as (much like I said in a previous review posted today,) I struggle with Christmas stuff. But, there’s always an exception to the rule and I’m pleased to say, Lynch throttled this one in the throat.
What I liked: The story centers around the Feltcher family kids on Christmas Eve. Their mother died from Cancer recently, and since then their father – a cop – works double and triple shifts while drinking his sorrow and staying as far away from the house as he can. Everything reminds him of his wife.
When his youngest daughter finds one of the moms old Christmas Elves, at first nobody blinks an eye. But the Elf is magical and a maniac and soon he’s going to have his fun.
This story runs alongside a secondary plot. Where someone that the dad jailed has been released and wants his revenge. So, he heads to the house, ready to kill them all.
Lynch does a great job of setting everything up and when the blood starts flying, boy does it fly. We get Sprinkles the elf stabbing and biting, we get the deranged ex-con, stabbing and slicing and we get the kids trying to survive a double-headed attack.
The ending is not only a total blood bath, but if you couple it with the minor epilogue, we just may get more Sprinkles carnage, and I for one would be all for it.
What I didn’t like: I think the biggest thing for me was that I wished it was one or the other. Sprinkles or the ex-con. The character of Chad is great, and he was a blast to see him want to take his vengeance out, but when Sprinkles arrived, the reader is focused on him. When Chad returns, the reader is focused on him. I think ideally if the story had been one or the other, it would’ve elevated it even more.
Why you should buy this: This is exactly like all of the wonderfully brutal late 80s and early 90s Christmas horror movies that we all grew up watching and loving. Lynch delivers a chaos filled story filled to the brim with ripping and shredding and at the end of the day, the reader won’t really care who survives, as they’ll be more invested in who dies and how they die. And Lynch does that perfectly....more
*Huge thanks to DarkLit Press for the eARC of this one. Disclaimer – I have a novella releasing in 2024 through DarkLit, but in no way did this influe*Huge thanks to DarkLit Press for the eARC of this one. Disclaimer – I have a novella releasing in 2024 through DarkLit, but in no way did this influence my thoughts on this book*
I’ve been a fan of Red’s work for sometime now and her short fiction is some of the best stuff you’ll ever read. Now, with this novella on the horizon, I was excited to see what she’d created, especially after reading the synopsis. Much like Gran’s ‘Come Closer,’ this one seemed to be a story that would walk that line between ‘is this real or not,’ and that always makes for a fun time in the horror world.
What I liked: The story follows Karina, a wife and mother who has always had to contend with her mind rapidly running through the darkest thoughts possible about every situation. Brakes are going to fail, the bungee will snap, the house will catch on fire. On and on, her entire life she’s struggled with it, but even worse – as her mother likes to remind her – sometimes the thoughts she’s having come true.
So, it comes that after a horrible moment occurs, one that happened exactly how she imagined in, Karina spirals into the depths of grief. Her family is gone. But something else has arrived. A strange black blob that seemingly can take the shape of those departed.
From here, Lagoe does a masterful job of keeping the reader guessing – is this actually happening, or is Karina sleep deprived and hallucinating. It never lets up and to make matters worse, we see Karina continue to spiral and grow unhinged. She stops talking to those who love her, holes up in her house, quits her job and focuses on what she needs to do to somehow bring those gone back to her.
This all culminates in a phenomenal ending where we see Karina become truly unhinged and in a macabre way, live out the dreams many aspiring writers long to obtain. It had me grinning like a maniac and the machine-like precision with which Red delivers this ending was magical.
What I didn’t like: We do get a tiny smidge of background story aspects surrounding Karina and her father, but I wished it was expanded upon a bit more.
Why you should buy this: This novella is going to knock the socks off every reader, much the same way Marceau’s, ‘This Is Where We Talk Things Out’ did. Lagoe has crafted a truly unnerving story that walks so close to the edge time and time again and ultimately leaves that question – Is this real or a hallucination? – firmly in the hands of the reader to determine.
Thanks to Joe for sending me a digital copy of this one!
I’ve said it before – and I’ll always find it strange – but very frequently in my book readingThanks to Joe for sending me a digital copy of this one!
I’ve said it before – and I’ll always find it strange – but very frequently in my book reading world, I end up finishing one book and shortly after, another one has similar themes. It is always random, as its usually the books I’m reading for review purposes, but in this case, I’d finished reading Tim McGregor’s wonderful ‘Eynhallow’ which involved Victor Frankenstein, and a few short books later, I jump into Joe’s latest, which involves someone stealing bodies from graveyards so that scientists can reanimate them. Love it!
What I liked: Set in the 1920’s the story hops back and forth between Clyde, an assistant to a wealthy man, and Michael, an eager newspaper reporter. Clyde has been helping dig up bodies, but for what reason, he’s unsure. That is until he’s shown that the wealthy are working with scientists to bring those dead back to life.
Meanwhile, Michael is eager to report on something different than the usual gang related stuff plaguing the city. So, heading to the suburbs, he reconnects with an old friend, who works for the police there, and learns of these grave diggings.
Scipione keeps those storylines separate for a bit before they merge and Clyde and Michael form an unlikely duo looking to get to the bottom of things. It made for a fun pairing, and seeing the dark secrets that kept getting revealed made for an entertaining read.
It all comes to a head at the end, with the last quarter working so very well to keep us guessing, but to also have the readers remain fully entrenched in how things come to a end.
What I didn’t like: I felt like initially, we are shown the ‘reveal’ of why the bodies are being dug up really quickly. I think it would’ve been fun to have that teased out a bit more.
And, I did find at first, I kept thinking the Michael parts were almost modern day, as the writing felt different than the Clyde aspects.
Why you should read this: Joe is always creating fun horror for readers and ‘Never Dead’ is no exception. This one hums along, gives us some fantastic scenes, and you’ll be all the better for having met Michael and Clyde....more
I’ve had this novel languishing on my Kindle since release date, slowly making its way up through my miles deep TBR, but I knew I wanted to do my3.5/5
I’ve had this novel languishing on my Kindle since release date, slowly making its way up through my miles deep TBR, but I knew I wanted to do my best to fit it in by this year’s end. So, when November rolled around, I read chapter one and got it started, making sure my brain would get back to it.
I’ve known Ronald for a few years now and had the pleasure of finally meeting him this past May in Toronto. His ‘Tales from the Parkland’ collection was fantastic, so I was excited going in to see what he’d done in the long format.
What I liked: The story takes place in the odd little town of Cutter’s Deep. According to the mythology of the town, a lumberjack – last name Cutter – seemingly uncovered a way to prosper here in the woods. Through this, he built a pyramid, formed a town and then disappeared. To the average eyes, its simply a ghost town when driving through, seemingly abandoned and run down. But if you’re wearing a special necklace or the town itself wants you to see it, it’ll reveal itself to you.
It’s kind of like the hotel in The Eagles ‘Hotel California.’ You can check out any time you like but you can never leave. Once you’re there, you’re there. And the town is filled with all types of strangeness.
We follow Arlington and Claire. Arlington is a young man who has lived his whole life in Cutter’s Deep. Claire is visiting. And when her parents go missing, she meets Arlington and the two connect. A connection that Arlington never expected, which opens up new feelings within him. This is the basis of the rest of the story. The two working together to get to the bottom of what’s going on, why things are the way they are and if there is any potential for the two of them to leave and live together in the wider world beyond.
The scope of this story is MASSIVE. McGillvray fills it with different societies, groups, creatures and all types of magic and lore. Taken in bit parts it felt a lot like the movies I grew up watching in the 80s felt, or for something a bit more modern, even how True Blood expanded from a simply vampire drama to include all types of creatures.
The ending absolutely leaves the stage open for a second novel. I’m not sure if Ronald is planning a sequel, but taken on face value, it would seem like we’d be getting more, which would allow Ronald to cover even more ground.
What I didn’t like: Two things stuck out to me really. Reading this, I became overwhelmed with just how much was happening. There’s A LOT of directions this goes in and a lot of moving parts. Taken in bite sized chunks it was manageable, but some of the random extra stuff would’ve been nice to have been paired down. I was fascinated by the parking garage sequence, but it never really got explained, and same with the hotel, or really why some were chosen to see the place and others weren’t.
Secondly, the content felt more YA (not a bad thing) than Adult, but the Adult components kind of looped me out of the YA comfort. The writing did change between those areas, with a harder edge for the Adult aspects and a bit more toned down for YA, so at times it felt like I was reading two stories that had been put together into one release.
Why you should buy this: If you’re looking for a massive, sprawling, epic horror-fantasy tale that brings you into the middle of nowhere to one of the strangest places you’ll ever visit, look no further.
This one reads like McGillvray had a blast writing it and it’ll be one that’ll suck you in and not let go. Especially if you’re out past midnight and the howling begins....more
Huge thanks to Meerkat Press for sending me a digital copy of this one!
I was very intrigued by the synopsis straight away.
Anything to do with sleep/inHuge thanks to Meerkat Press for sending me a digital copy of this one!
I was very intrigued by the synopsis straight away.
Anything to do with sleep/insomnia/sleep deprivation always gets me excited – think Russian Sleep Study – so, with this one being suggested as a psychological thriller and dealing with an isolated island of people who suddenly can’t sleep after a boy who won’t speak is found abandoned on the beach, I knew things were gonna be crazy.
What I liked: As mentioned, the story takes place on Carratuck Island – a tourist spot where the locals live an easy, carefree life. The new doc, Sam, is doing his best to fit in, but also struggling to sleep, dealing with the guilt over a former client’s suicide.
Things take a turn, when a young boy is brought to the medical clinic. The boy won’t speak and is solely focused on his handheld video game. Not long after his appearance, people begin to arrive at the clinic, looking for help to sleep. Freirich does a masterful job of creating a slow-burn atmosphere here. At first, it’s a couple people. Then a dozen. Then two dozen. Tempers begin to flare. Sleeping pill stock depletes and soon, the Chief of Police is dealing with people angry the ferry isn’t arriving.
As the sleep deprivation continues, people begin to take things to the extreme and those who are managing to stay level-headed are left to deal with the aftermath.
Freirich does a really solid job of showing how each of the secondary characters succumbs to the effects of less sleep, questioning things, seeing things and struggling to find any hope. And as the effects roll across the island, things get more and more heated. Enter a supposed new doc who thinks things are being kept from the people by those in charge and tensions escalate even further. If you consider this was originally released in 2020, it would’ve felt like a very timely discussion piece on the Covid mandates.
The ending ties up most of the pieces of the story. We see what happens as things slowly return to normal and where some of those who made it off the island end up.
What I didn’t like: It was odd. Even though I knew going in this was more of a slow-burn, tension-based thriller, I constantly felt like I was waiting for something to actually happen. People showed up tired. Then it repeated the next day. And the next. And the next. It just never seemed to actually arrive at a true tipping point. And while the ending tied things up, I’m personally not sold on the ‘why’ of things happening. It felt a little light for a reason.
Why you should buy this: I’ve seen a few reviews suggest this is similar to Tremblay’s ‘The Cabin at the End of the World,’ and I think that’s a fair comparison. Saying that, in Tremblay’s we get to an ‘action-moment’ really early on, while this one is a bit more repetitive in building things until about 75% in. This one also comes with a bonus novella, following a different character and her husband during the events, which was a fun bonus.
Overall, if you’re looking for a solid, unnervingly realistic look at an isolated group of people dealing with a lack of sleep, look no further. I would’ve liked a bit more oomph overall, but did enjoy this one....more
I remember when Uncle Carl released his first novella, ‘The Blood Beast Mutations’ back in 2020 and he sent me a really kind email (actually his son sI remember when Uncle Carl released his first novella, ‘The Blood Beast Mutations’ back in 2020 and he sent me a really kind email (actually his son sent it as Carl stays pretty off the grid) thanking me for reading it and saying such kind things. And at that time, I think I sent something back along the lines of – ‘it won’t be long until everyone is reading your work.’ And I meant it. And now, some three years later, it always fills me with great joy when I pop on Tik Tok or Books of Horror on FB or wherever and I see someone gushing about how amazing Carl John Lee’s books are. Because it’s true. Yes, Carl writes extreme horror, but – and I’ve said this before – his books are filled with real stories, layered approaches, relationship building and honest to god plots. It’s a novel with extreme moments, not just extreme moments with an after thought of story.
With last years outstanding, ‘Psychic Teenage Bloodbath,’ (and according to Goodreads numbers, Lee’s run away hit!), we were introduced to Susan, a girl trapped in a coma but possessing phenomenal powers of her mind. Things ended with a bang, between Susan, Charlie and Lynette – and while I won’t discuss that here for spoilers, be aware that going forward, if you’ve not read book one, some things might spoil it for you.
You’ve been warned.
What I liked: The second book picks up a bit after book one, where we find out that Susan did in fact take over Lynette’s body and banished her mind to the far reaches of her brain. Charlie at first wasn’t aware of this, believing her and Lynette had escaped Susan’s wrath, but once she understands the truth, she’s stuck in a physically and mentally abusive relationship which is ruled by Susan’s jealous iron fist.
When Charlie sees her chance, she takes it, purposefully trying to kill them both, but this is only the beginning. They awake now, in the dream world, the psychological realm, where Charlie searches for Lynette, and Susan seeks out both of them, desperate for vicious revenge.
It’s here that Carl John Lee does something remarkable unexpected. Within the pages of this brutally extreme novel, we get an emotional interlude. Charlie is reunited with her dog, Princess, who has been waiting for her since they passed away. Once Princess and Charlie are able to properly say goodbye they end up at the Rainbow Bridge and the reader ends up a bawling sack of unexpected sadness over this moment arriving seemingly out of nowhere. The story continues on with more blood, shredding and body cavity depravity, before we get an unexpected (and hilariously placed) celebrity cameo, before arriving at the last quarter where all bets are off.
I will say, the way Carl John Lee executes the ending of this story (pre-epilogue) is magnificent and shows his penchant for cinematic storytelling.
The epilogue opens the door for a potential third novel, and if it wasn’t for the Rainbow Bridge moment in the middle, would’ve been the most heart-wrenching thing ever to exist in a Carl John Lee novel.
What I didn’t like: As with all Carl John Lee releases, remember that this will have some truly brutal moments. Some of them have very specific purposes, while others work to set up something further down the line, but if you struggle with extreme, just know going in that this is a full on sensory assault.
Why you should read this: Fans of Carl John Lee’s will have already preordered this – like me (but thanks again for the digital ARC Uncle Carl!) – but if you’re looking for one of the most solid extreme storytellers to whisk you away into a world of love, lust, desire, depravity and debauchery, look no further. Pick up book one, read it, and get ready for this one, as it takes the story laid out in the first to a whole other level....more
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