The Travelling Man by Matt Drabble

January 16, 2015 By Leave a Comment

TRAVELLING
The Travelling Man by Matt Drabble
Publisher: Eden Publications
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery, horror
Length: Full Length (471 pgs)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Sorrel

The small desert town of Granton is a typical slow boiling pot of unfulfilled hopes and dreams. Every hard working day is much like any other here where little ever changes.

Sheriff Cassie Wheeler runs a tight ship in the tradition of her late father. There is little serious crime to trouble her department, save for the local miners’ occasional rowdiness after payday.

But Granton has its share of secrets hiding behind twitching curtains and small town folks often have the biggest of ambitions.

Now the long dusty road into town has brought with it a stranger. A man of elegance calling himself Gilbert Grange has arrived. He brings with him a bag full of dreams and a silver tongue of promise. He can give you whatever you desire, all you have to do is sign on the dotted line.

The residents of Granton are about to discover that dreams can come at a terrible price, and you should always be careful what you wish for.

A fierce battle quickly descends into a free-for-all when criminals strike out indiscriminately and no one seems to care just who they were fighting.

Two strangers arrive into a small town called Granton. Within hours a series of unnatural and unexplainable deaths occur. The sheriff of the town, Cassie, is worried. The folks of the town are scared and need answers which she doesn’t have but has vowed to find out for the sake of her town and her family’s well-being.

This is a horror novel, the kind which can give a reader nightmares for days. It contains a lot of blood, death, gore, mutilation. Potential readers need to have a strong stomach or at least should love this level of horror to read it.

I love horror. When I started this book I was excited, but after a while it became predictable with deaths because I knew who was going to die. That only question was how they were going to die. The deaths that occurred at the start of the book felt repetitive after a while. It was a good thing that I held out. The climax grabbed my attention and kept it with the book until I finished.

It is a very descriptive and a cleverly written and orchestrated story. The author did well in describing the different scenes and characters. There was a lot of in-depth descriptions about minor and secondary characters. This was all necessary and contributed towards understanding the ending a lot better.

The Travelling Man is a horror story but it also provides an deep look into human emotions, needs, and dreams. It delves deeper into the dark recess of the mind which most of us usually tend to overlook.

This is book perfect for the readers with the need to read horror, not just run of the mill – the kind that will chill your bones.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Fairy by Shane McKenzie

November 28, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FAIRY
Fairy by Shane McKenzie
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (55 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Thistledown

Cecilia will do anything to have a baby. Anything.

Cecilia has tried everything to have the one thing she wants most—a baby. She’s been through every procedure, taken every medication. Nothing seems to work. Her body simply refuses to grow the life she so desperately yearns for. Her jealousy is making her lash out at the pregnant women around her. She’s starting to worry about her sanity.

But all is not lost. There is still one way. And Cecilia will do whatever it takes.

Even if it means inviting an ancient creature into her bedroom.

Cecelia wants a baby but what is she willing to do to get one.

What are the things we covet the most? The things around us every day. Cecilia had it all. A marriage, a job she loved and a future. She is a doula, hired by families to assist in the birthing of their children, but with every child Cecilia helps into the world, the more she hates and resents what fate has handed her. Rage strums under her skin like a tangible force. When she snaps at clients, her boss calls her in for what Cecilia is sure is her last day on the job.

Only it isn’t. Judy, Cecilia’s boss has a few secrets of her own. When things continue to spiral downhill, July offers to tell her how to get a baby of her very own, but to do it will cost her more than she might be willing to pay.

This book was a quick read and I was immediately sucked into Cecilia’s emotional vortex. As a woman, I feel the lack of a child very profoundly sometimes. To be Cecilia and help with all of these births, knowing you will never have the thing you want most in the world is a soul crushing thing and even the best people have been known to be twisted in the face of something like that.

When Judy tells Cecilia about her own veritable deal with the devil, so to speak, Cecilia rejects her and walks away. But it niggles-those doubts and longings in the night and soon she finds out just what Judy was talking about.

I am now a complete and utter fan girl of Shane McKenzie and can’t wait to read more of his work. He captures the emotional essence of a woman at the edge of her rope and left you right there in the room as you watched the events unfold. Bravo on a tale well mastered and a blood curdling tale of motherhood gone horribly wrong.

Read this one with the lights on.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Flesh Failure by Sèphera Girón

November 25, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FLESH
Flesh Failure by Sèphera Girón
Publisher: Samhain Publications
Genre: Historical, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short Story (84 pgs)
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by Thistledown

From out of the grave.

London, 1888: Agatha drags herself from a shallow grave to roam the fog-shrouded streets of the dark city, trying to piece together what happened. Her new friends, the ladies of the night, live in terror of Jack the Ripper, while Agatha persistently searches for what she discovers she needs to stay alive—electrical charges.

As her memory grows stronger, the hazy images from her past come into focus, but questions remain. Do her answers lie in the shadows of the streets, the hidden corridors of London Hospital, or someplace far more frightening?

Waking up dead makes for a very bad day.

Agatha awakens buried in the earth. Her mouth filled with dirt and mud, she crawls from the filth to rejoin the living. Naked and covered in disfiguring scars, she is a horror to all who meet her. A blind gypsy takes her in and gives her clothes and she finds her voice and her way. She must return to the city and find who did this to her-who make her the way she is.

Her body oozing puss and a foul odor of the dead, Agatha knows she is different from other girls and when a prostitute rescues her from the streets of Whitechapel, she learns skills to keep herself alive. Can she find the men who made her into a monster that other women fear? Will she become a freak at a side show or exact her revenge?

This story had many elements of Frankenstein and Jack the Ripper that blended well together. The concept of a woman being brought back to life in the fashion of Mary Shelley’s epic tale and then discarded before the authorities could be alerted to the monstrous nature of the experiment were well suited to the time. Women were second class citizens and in this tale it takes an even darker turn.

While I enjoyed the overall idea of the story, some points in the execution left something to be desired. The repetition of words and awkward phrasing made a good portion of the book difficult to get through without wincing. I rooted for the girl who rose from the dead and wanted her murderers to get their due, but I strong bit of editing on this story would have gone a long, long way.

All in all, I enjoyed the mix of rotting zombie and Jack the Ripper. What a lovely idea that the two could remotely even be related. There is a definite spark of genius, but like all writers, an editing hand is worth much.

Read this one in the light and be careful who you meet just outside the gates of the local graveyard.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Castles Burning by Keith Wayne McCoy

November 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment

BURNING
Castles Burning by Keith Wayne McCoy
Publisher: Champagne Books
Genre: Horror, Contemporary
Length: Short Story (40 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Wil Warner is a tormented son tossed about by the waves of both parents. His father is a beautiful but simple father and husband, and his mother is a narcissistic woman obsessed with the art of acquisition and the relentless climb to the top of society. After his father’s death, an adult Wil is left to face the ultimate horror of his mother’s mental illness.

Not every terrifying thing in this world has a supernatural origin.

Horror isn’t necessarily just about blood and guts. One of the things that first attracted me to it was how versatile this genre can be. As a fan of Mr. McCoy’s previous work, I was intrigued by what he’d come up with this time as the last book I read from him was from a completely different genre. He made the transition nicely, though, and has definitely piqued my interest. It will be fun to see where he goes with his next project.

Even though Wil is the main character, there wasn’t a great deal of time spent developing his personality. Almost everything I learned about him was due to his reactions to his severely mentally ill mother. The glimpses of Wil’s harsh childhood made me wince, but I would have really liked to see more examples of how those experiences shaped him into who he became as an adult.

With that being said, secondary characters were well drawn. Stories that explore dysfunctional families are utterly fascinating to me. Almost anything can feel normal if someone is exposed to it early enough in life or for a long period of time, but that doesn’t mean that those things are actually healthy or safe. It was interesting to see how the people around Wil responded to their circumstances. Based on what I’ve observed in real life, it was also chillingly accurate.

I’d recommend Castles Burning to anyone who enjoys horror that’s set in a realistic, contemporary environment.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Anonymous by Christine Benedict

November 14, 2014 By Leave a Comment

BENEDICT
Anonymous by Christine Benedict
Publisher: Loconeal Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Horror
Length: Full Length (298 pages)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Debra Hamilton confronts the fear of inheriting mental illness when her husband moves her into a hundred-year-old farmhouse on fifty-three acres of blacklisted real estate property. Floorboards creak when she’s alone. Objects appear and disappear. Neighbors insinuate the house is haunted but memories of her mother’s schizophrenia make her wonder. Julie, a neighbor who befriends Debra, faces her own fears when a stalker starts sending perverted anonymous letters that cause a rift in Julie’s unstable marriage. Their plots merge as their friendship grows to create a rich and satisfying story.

She fears she’s losing her sanity, but there’s so much more to the story.

This is Christine Benedict’s first novel and while it might have taken her a while to write it, this shouldn’t be her last. This is the type of book best not to be read in the middle of the night and not while you’re alone.

There are some books that stick with me. Those are the books that made some sort of emotional connection. In this case, the book just plain instilled good old fashioned creepiness. I couldn’t put it down, but then I was sort of afraid to.

I do have to note there were quite a few typos and some sentences that, with a little more editing, could be trimmed to make the story flow better. I was still able to read the book, but these were distractions.

Having mental illness in my family, I could identify with Debra’s character. It’s scary to even fathom that one could be sinking into mental illness. Julie, her friend, is another character that is easy to relate to. Her children have grown and are about to fly free of the nest. It’s tough to have the kids grow up, even if it’s inevitable. I liked how they leaned on each other and became a great support for each other.

This is a book that’s sure to please and will definitely stay with the reader long after the last page. Grab this book if you’re up for a story with heart and a good scare factor. You won’t want to miss it.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Introit – Black Dog by Oliver J Olinger

November 4, 2014 By Leave a Comment

DOG
Introit – Black Dog by Oliver J Olinger
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Horror, Contemporary, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (12 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Paul Auxten, a former government operative attempting to live out the rest of his life as a bartender in a small Florida town, is approached by an unusual man about a job. On the surface, the job appears to be a simple, one-night rescue operation for a prized, black dog that has been stolen by an underground dog-fighting enthusiast. Paul learns, however, that the dog in question is not of this world. The animal escapes during the rescue and a supernatural bloodbath ensues. Together with Toma Pietruszka, his new employer, Paul finally tracks down and captures the dog, only to be visited by an unsettling character later that evening. This is the first book in a series of supernatural exploits starring Paul and Toma.

Here’s a hint: if it actually were an easy job, they probably wouldn’t be offering anyone so much money to complete it. If only Paul had realized this ahead of time.

A well-written description can make me feel like I’ve been transported to another time and place. Mr. Olinger’s settings were so richly detailed that my nose actually itched early on when he was describing a particularly run-down building. I could just about smell the dust and mold that must have been silently accumulating in its forgotten corners for years.

With that being said, some of the descriptions were a little too verbose for something this length. Stories as short as this one need to move very quickly in order to pack everything in. There were a few times when the descriptions slowed down the pacing. There’s room for these kinds of pauses in a novella or full-length novel, but they occasionally did feel out of place for this particular tale.

All of the most important plot threads were tied up, but there’s still a lot about Paul that I don’t know. I hope I’ll get the chance to follow him on future adventures. He’s the kind of protagonist that shows a lot of promise. This is the kind of introduction to a new series that immediately captures my attention due to its intriguing premise and all of the questions it leaves unanswered.

I’d recommend Introit – Black Dog to anyone who enjoys the darker side of science fiction.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Fatal Consequences by JG Faherty

October 21, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FATAL
Fatal Consequences by JG Faherty
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (57 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

“Every decision carries a price.”

Alec Winter is a man haunted by his own cowardice. When a bear attacked his family during a camping trip, he ran and hid. When he returned, his children were dead and his wife badly injured. But everyone believes he s a hero because he led rescuers back in time to save her. Ever since then, his children’s deaths have haunted him. Now, on the anniversary of the attack, strange things begin happening. The people who helped Alec are dying in very violent ways, leaving him to wonder if guilt has finally driven him crazy…or if something far worse is coming for him.

Everyone feels guilty over something in their past, but not everyone tries to hide what really happened. If only Alec knew how to make everything right again.

One of the most important things I look for in good horror is smart writing. This wasn’t the first thing I’ve read from this author, but it is my favorite book from him so far. What I like the most about his writing style is how much effort he puts into developing his ideas. I get the impression that Mr. Faherty spends a great deal of time working behind the scenes to wring out every last drop of horror from his premise before he releases his newest creation into the world.

I was able to figure out the ending fairly early on in the plot. There were a few too many clues about what was happening to Alec and the other characters, and some of them were shared too soon. Had I needed more time to put all of the pieces together, this tale would have easily earned a much higher rating.

Take my advice and don’t read this right before bedtime. This is one of the creepiest things I’ve read in a long time. Normally I’m less frightened once I figure out what’s happen in a horror story, so it was deliciously unnerving to have the opposite experience. Trying to sleep a few hours after I finished it was an exercise in futility.

Fatal Consequences is a great choice for anyone who loves the scary side of fiction.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore by Lori Bonfitto

October 15, 2014 By Leave a Comment

PARK
Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore by Lori Bonfitto
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical, Contemporary, Horror, Holiday
Length: Full Length (236 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

A telekinetic teenager. A doomed ocean liner. A haunted bed & breakfast. A zombie-fighting real estate developer. These are but a few of the eerie people, places and things that go bump in the pages of Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore.

Spanning six decades, Asbury Dark will thrill and delight anyone who’s ever ridden the rides on the fabled boardwalk, searched for Bruce at The Stone Pony, or shambled along in the Zombie March.

Mystery and suspense author Lori Bonfitto delivers seven unforgettable tales of fright and fantasy, transforming Asbury Park from a nostalgic playland into a world fraught with obsession, reincarnation, and the paranormal.

Get ready to be scared.

“Dead and Breakfast” shows what happens when a woman teams up with her cousin and his friend to flip an old house. Few things go as planned when home renovations are mixed with a fickle real estate market. I was surprised by how many plot twists I didn’t see coming in this one. They all make perfect sense based on what I’d figured out about the characters. This is the kind of storytelling that keeps me coming back for more.

Some stories in this collection were much longer than I expected them to be, especially “Harbinger.” In it a businessman who is putting off his retirement sees something terrifying on his morning commute that is invisible to everyone else around him. His attempts to figure out what he’s seeing and why no one else can see it kept me guessing until the end. The premise would have worked equally well expanded into a novel or contracted into something that only takes up a few pages. It would have been slightly less scary but still satisfying in the shorter version due to what would have needed to be cut out. The novella format didn’t leave quite enough room to fully explore all of the themes that are included. This pattern repeated itself a few different times and was my major reason for not selecting a higher rating.

If I had to pick one favorite, it would be “Waves.” The plot follows a couple named Denise and Steve whose young daughter has begun remembering things she couldn’t possibly know. I had an inkling of what might be going on fairly quickly, but the dialogue was so entertaining that I didn’t mind knowing what was happening so soon. Strong, even pacing also kept my interest high. The incredible ending is what really made a fan of this tale though!

I’d recommend Asbury Dark: Haunting Tales from the Jersey Shore to anyone who likes a little social commentary mixed in with their science fiction.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash

October 6, 2014 By Leave a Comment

FLIP
The Flip by Michael Phillip Cash
Publisher: Self-published
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense, Paranormal, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Full Length (389 pgs)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Julie and Brad Evans are house flippers. They buy low, clean out the old occupants’ junk, and try to make a profit. Enter Hemmings House on Bedlam Street in scenic Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island. Too good a deal to pass up, but with an ominous secret. The old Victorian Mansion has dwellers that do not want to be dispossessed. As the house reveals it’s past, will the couple’s marriage survive The Flip?

I love nothing better than a good ghost story set in an old house and The Flip is a creepy tale that keeps you turning the pages.

I liked both the main characters, Julie and Brad. I think most of us can relate to them and their need to make some extra money. In the case of this couple, they’ve been flipping houses. Not smooth sailing but nothing like the house they’ve just purchased. I loved the setting of this story and I could visualize Brad in the house, tearing away at the walls, and discovering more things about the house.

The only thing I didn’t like about this story was the weaving of Brad’s point of view with those of the ghosts, it was a bit jarring at times, and also it wasn’t until later that the book switches back to 1862 where the real tale of the story is unfolded and we learn who these inhabitants are.

I did like that their story was part of the actual history of the area and era which made for some interesting reading. The last third of the book really picked up the pace and I found myself turning the pages just to see if these two would make it out alive, or if the ghosts would destroy them and also the house.

The secondary characters are entertaining too and the dialogue very natural sounding. 398 pages might sound like a daunting read for some people, but the print is large and the pacing quick so even if you’re short on time it’s not a problem. If you love a haunted house story, The Flip is probably a good pick for you.

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Braineater Jones by Stephen Kozeniewski

September 17, 2014 By 2 Comments

JONES
Braineater Jones by Stephen Kozeniewski
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing=
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Suspense/Mystery, Horror, Historical
Length: Full Length (233 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Braineater Jones wakes up face down in a swimming pool with no memory of his former life, how he died, or why he’s now a zombie. With a smart-aleck severed head as a partner, Jones descends into the undead ghetto to solve his own murder.

But Jones’s investigation is complicated by his crippling addiction to human flesh. Like all walking corpses, he discovers that only a stiff drink can soothe his cravings. Unfortunately, finding liquor during Prohibition is costly and dangerous. From his Mason jar, the cantankerous Old Man rules the only speakeasy in the city that caters to the postmortem crowd.

As the booze, blood, and clues coagulate, Jones gets closer to discovering the identity of his killer and the secrets behind the city’s stranglehold on liquid spirits. Death couldn’t stop him, but if the liquor dries up, the entire city will be plunged into an orgy of cannibalism.

Cracking this case is a tall order. Braineater Jones won’t get out alive, but if he plays his cards right, he might manage to salvage the last scraps of his humanity.

The only thing worse than being murdered is waking up the next day with no memory of who you are or why there’s a gaping hole in your chest.

It took a little while for the character development to start happening in this book, but once it did I was glad for the delay. Building up such detailed descriptions of the personalities of the people involved first made their evolutions even more rewarding than they would have been otherwise. There were several developments that I didn’t see coming, especially when it came to the main character’s quest to discover his past.

One of the many mysteries that Braineater Jones has to unravel during the course of his adventures is who he was before he died. It was fun to see him slowly gather clues about his past, but I would have preferred for him to have a more humanizing undead name as he did it. I understand why the author wanted to start off with a character who has had literally everything from his former life stripped away. The name Braineater was too campy and distracting for my tastes, though. Braineater had some surprisingly empathetic streaks in his personality, and he deserved a zombie name that better represented that.

Mr. Kozeniewski has a tongue-in-cheek writing style that works incredibly well for this kind of tale. I didn’t read the first chapter so much as I absorbed it. Sometimes he made me laugh, cringe, and then gasp within a matter of minutes. This was my first introduction to his work. Based on how much I enjoyed it, I’ll be keeping a keen eye out for what he comes up with next.

I strongly recommend checking out the glossary at the end of this book to anyone who isn’t familiar with 1930s slang. While I knew many of those terms already, it was also helpful to look up the zombie-related jargon that is specific to this universe. Including the glossary was a great decision, and I’m glad that the author alerted me to its existence in the foreword.

Braineater Jones is one of the most entertaining horror novels I’ve read in 2014. This is a great choice for anyone in the mood for a genre-busting thriller!

Filed Under: Horror, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,
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