Running Red by Jack Bates

May 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

RED
Running Red by Jack Bates
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Young Adult, Horror, Contemporary, Action/Adventure
Length: Short Story (129 pages)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Rebellious teen Robin “Robbie” Willette thinks her life sucks.

Her grades aren’t the greatest. Her dad hates her “older” boyfriend. And her mom keeps Robbie on a short leash after her straight A, perfect, older sister gets pregnant and has a baby. As the tension builds in her family, Robbie runs away with her boyfriend Lane only to wind up sleeping on the sofa of her ostracized sister.

But it’s not all that bad. Robbie has a taste of independence. She’s working on getting her diploma through night school. She has a job–not a great one but it’s legit. And she’s finally beginning to figure out that her relationship with Lane is a dead end. For the first time in a long time, Robbie Willette is getting her life together.

Just as her life is improving, the world around her begins to crumble. Literally. A plague crawls over the planet, mutating humans into blood-lusting zombies that help spread a deadly fungus. It isn’t long before society collapses. In fact, in less than a year, all of society’s norms are gone. Robbie quickly finds herself separated not only from her family, but from all humanity. Hoping to reunite with her sister and niece, Robbie sets off with the most loyal companion she’s ever had: a yellow Labrador she names Yuki.

The road she travels is not easy. She must confront personal fears, untrustworthy humans, and aggressive mutants. Will Robbie fulfill her dream of finding her family, or is the world just too dangerous a place to discover what she needs most–hope?

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Running Red has the pacing of an action movie. From the very first paragraph readers are thrust into Robin’s chaotic, dangerous world. Most of the character development and exposition in this tale actually occurs in the flashbacks which made certain plot twists even more unexpected. Everyone who has survived so far is far too busy staying alive to worry about their emotional health, but I was surprised to see how much Robin matured during the year or so she lived on the run.

I never quite understood the logic behind how the disease spreads or why Yuki appears to be immune to it. While the descriptions of this invasion are terrifying the explanation for why some people were more susceptible to it than others would have made more sense had the author described the disease as a virus instead of a fungus.

While I initially harboured a few doubts about a decision Robin makes as the end of this tale grew near the final scene stays true to everything we learn about her personality and moral code. All of the major plot points were resolved satisfactorily, but a few answers were open-ended enough to justify a sequel in the future if the author ever chooses to revisit these characters.

It’s difficult to write a novel about zombies without including a lot of violent scenes. This book is full of graphic descriptions of characters hurting and killing one another, and while it may be appealing to younger audiences it definitely should not be read by anyone under the age of 16.

Anyone in the mood for a fresh twist on the zombie meme should give Running Red a try. It reinvents some of the most common tropes in the genre while paying homage to the expectations of hardcore fans.

Filed Under: Horror, Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Realms of Darkness by E. H. James

May 17, 2013 By Leave a Comment

REALMS
Realms of Darkness by E. H. James
Publisher: Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Contemporary, Historical
Length: Short Story (25 pages)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Just when you thought it was safe to come out and play…

Being in the wrong place at the wrong time can be murder.
The Lamp ~ Don’t play games in the dead of night where shadows dwell.
The Late Shift ~ By the time you finish reading this, it’s already too late.
The Hitch ~ Don’t go looking for it…you might not like what you find.
The Furnace ~ Once you open that door there’s no going back.
In the Realms of Darkness…no one is safe.

Is it scarier to imagine something horrifying or to actually see it happen? It is better to wonder if something terrible is hunting you down or to know this information for sure?
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The stories in this collection ricochet off of this question. While they ended up in wildly different places all four of them truly deserve to be included in the horror genre.

“The Lamp” had a bone-chilling premise that easily could have been expanded into a full-length novel. The reader is given just enough information about Sandra and Jennifer’s Ouija board experiment to whet his or her appetite for the truth. While it worked well as a short story I think “The Lamp” would have been creepier and more memorable if the characters were given a few pages of exposition so that we could get to know everyone a little better. For example, are Sandra and Jennifer platonic friends or high school sweethearts? The way it is currently written I could make an argument for either possibility.

My favourite tale was “The Late Shift.” At first I wondered how a story about a tired server eagerly counting down the minutes until closing time could possible belong in this collection. Sheila, the progagonist, is such an observant, meticulous individual that I couldn’t imagine anything out of the ordinary slipping by on her watch. I didn’t figure out what was really happening until just a few sentences before it was described in greater detail.

I figured out the twist in “The Hitch” early on, but knowing what was probably going to happen did not dampen my enthusiasm in the least. The subtle clues in it lead to an immensely satisfying ending. Sensitive readers be warned, “The Hitch” includes a fairly gory scene. While it makes sense in the context of the tale the description of what is happening is explicit and should not be shared with younger readers.

“The Furnace” was the weakest addition. Like “The Hitch” it includes blood and gore, but in this case the violence does not seamlessly blend into the rest of the story. I had trouble understanding an unwise decision Karen makes early on. Perhaps the average person was more trusting in the 1970s, but I had a hard time reconciling her choice with her otherwise intelligent demeanour.

The subtle tales in this book were of more interest to this reader but all of them caught my attention at some point. I don’t know if the author has any plans to write a sequel to Realms of Darkness, but I would be quite interested in reading more!

Realms of Darkness is best consumed in one sitting. While none of the stories are set in the same universe each one reinforces the spooky atmosphere that makes dipping one’s toes into the horror genre so deliciously frightening.

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

The Second Wife by Catherine Cavendish

May 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment

WIFE
The Second Wife by Catherine Cavendish
Publisher: Etopia Press
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (102 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Emily Marchant died on Valentine’s Day. If only she’d stayed dead…

When Chrissie Marchant first sets eyes on Barton Grove, she feels as if the house doesn’t want her. But it’s her new husband’s home, so now it’s her home as well. Sumptuous and exquisitely appointed, the house is filled with treasures that had belonged to Joe’s first wife, the perfect Emily, whom the villagers still consider the real mistress of Barton Grove.

A stunning photograph of the first Mrs. Marchant hangs in the living room, an unblemished rose in her hand. There’s something unnerving and impossibly alive about that portrait, but it’s not the only piece of Emily still in the house. And as Chrissie’s marriage unravels around her, she learns that Emily never intended for Joe to take a second wife…

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Chrissie’s life changes dramatically when a whirlwind courtship with a wealthy doctor named Joe ends in marriage. In less than a year she shifts from struggling to make ends meet in a shrinking profession to living in a mansion. She had enjoyed working and isn’t sure what to do with herself now that she has hours of free time each day. Her uneasiness at not finding a new niche yet and disinterest in taking advantage of her husband’s money really endeared me this character.

Unfortunately I never quite understood why Joe and Chrissie chose to get married. Joe is still grieving the death of his first wife, Emily, and is so attached to her memory that at times it almost seems as though he’s married to two women instead of just one. The memory of Emily actually has more say over certain household decisions than his living, breathing second wife! Chrissie’s descriptions of Joe are so sensual that I briefly wondered if she married him for his sex appeal alone. While this is not a romance novel the only time that Chrissie and Joe truly seem to like one another is when they’re sexually or romantically involved. They don’t seem to share any common interests and have poor communication skills and recurring, stormy arguments in their everyday interactions.

Perhaps the atmosphere of the house could partially explain the odd relationship between Joe and Chrissie? My favorite scenes in this book featured mysterious occurrences in a house that has known more than its fair share of grief. Ms. Cavendish subtly wove terror into unexpected places in this story. I never would have guessed something as commonplace as a chair could be so creepy. The final scene in particular sent a river of goosebumps down my arms. It foreshadows the possibility of something sinister but leaves the interpretation of what actually happens up to the reader.

The Second Wife follows many of the conventions of gothic fiction but I was still surprised by Ms. Cavendish’s spin on certain memes. This story is a fantastic choice for anyone who prefers to allow their imagination to inflate certain horrors instead of asking the author to spell everything out in bright red letters.

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

Passport to Phelamanga by Michael Sutherland

May 3, 2013 By 2 Comments

PASSPORT
Passport to Phelamanga by Michael Sutherland
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Horror, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (59 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Grab your passport and throw away the return, because you’re never going home again.

Grab your passport for the roller coaster ride of your life as you travel through five mind bending journeys that will shock you out of your comfort zone, and take you into the new dawn you’ve always been looking for, to the land of Phelamanga.

‘After All’ – The elite have plundered the planet until there is nothing left and now their own children have mutated into an abandoned race of weakened albinos daring to crawl back to the surface to discover the truth for themselves.

‘Only Human’ – A lone young man gazes out from the mouth of a cave over the relics left by civilization. And now he is the only one left to witness the arrival of planet Earth’s first celestial visitor.

‘Bridge to Andromeda’ – He waits by a lonely road in the night determined to fulfill a promise made between friends when they were still schoolboys, to disappear into the wilds and never return.

‘Till Dawn’ – An old tramp has been on an endless journey, since the day he was released from an orphanage at the age of thirteen, in the vain hope that one day he will finally get see the mother he never knew, before experiencing his last sunrise.

‘Death Trapped’ – One phone call to the skuzzy office of the editor’s underground rag and he’s hooked on a mind bending nightmare too creepy to be real. So much of a bad trip that he can’t bring himself to believe that it’s true. But he’s the kind of guy who runs his life right on up to the wire hoping that all his problems will just fade away. It’s always worked before. But this time it’s too late. And there’s not a damn thing he can do to stop it.

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It’s scary to think that someday the human race will end. Whether our descendants die out or evolve into a new species has yet to be determined but one of the loneliest fates I can imagine is outliving ever other human being and then face one’s own mortality. The stories in the book are spooky, sad, and even occasionally funny but all of them attempt to describe what it would be like to be in this situation.

Till Dawn was full of run-on sentences that made it difficult to follow the narrator’s thoughts. I suspect that it was intended to show the narrator’s disorganized thinking and possibly hint at an underlying mental illness. The concept was quite intriguing but I spent so much time trying to figure out if the narrator was reliable that I never quite got into it.

After All shows what would really happen in an apocalypse: the wealthy would hog all of the resources, everyone else would die slowly and terribly. The question is, though, what happens many generations from now when the wealthy re-inherit the earth? Can a society survive longterm if only a few personality types are allowed to reproduce?

Death Trapped once again had me wondering how much of what the main character described was actually happening versus how much of it was a hallucination. The entities the main character meets are so unusual that they could easily be described but even when the author’s intentions are confirmed I found myself listing reasons why the other explanation was still valid. It definitely kept me guessing, though, and the characters in this story were my favourite in the entire book.

Only Human is the strongest entry in this collection. It would be so lonely to be the last member of one’s species still alive especially while witnessing the genesis of the species that will be your replacement. The twist at the end of it was unexpected and even though it left me wanting more everything was tied together precisely and all of the questions I had at the beginning were more than satisfactorily answered.

The Bridge to Andromeda has an attention-grabbing introduction but I had trouble figuring out why it ended so abruptly or how certain aspects of the plot were intended to connect to one another. The metaphors were so well-written that I could almost see them bubbling out between the sentences. I truly wished to savour the final story but never quite understood what the author was attempting to communicate.

Despite a few bumps along the way Passport to Phelamanga is an imaginative collection of tales that I never wanted to end. I hope to read more from Michael Sutherland soon and in the meantime will be revisiting these worlds and wondering what he will come up with next!

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

The Clearing of Travis Coble by Jonathan Janz

April 25, 2013 By Leave a Comment

TRAVIS
The Clearing of Travis Coble by Jonathan Janz
Publisher: Untreed Reads
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense
Length: Short Story (25 pages)
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Travis Coble didn’t kill and eat his family. At least that’s what a jury decided twenty years ago. But like Lizzie Borden, Travis Coble was branded guilty by an angry public and consigned to a life of suspicious whispers and sidelong stares. Now, Professor Dick Myers wants to clear Travis’s name once and for all. An interview with the reclusive mountain man would not only bring Myers fame—it could save his job.

But Myers will find more than a good story in Coble’s isolated shack in the Smoky Mountains. He will find the truth about what happened twenty years ago…and the true meaning of horror.

Are gut instincts always trustworthy? Is it better to listen to them and take a chance at being wrong or ignore them and risk something you won’t realize you’ve surrendered until it’s gone?

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I was never sure why Dick would travel to such a remote location without bringing along a cell phone. While reception can be spotty in rural locations wouldn’t it be better to bring the phone along and have a chance of contacting the outside world than to leave it at home and hope for the best? Mr. Janz’s stereotypical characterization of certain groups was also disappointing. The tropes he relied up to build tension in the plot are so well-known in the horror genre that I half-expected him to surprise the audience by subverting them. When that didn’t happen it was difficult for me to maintain interest in those characters.

Mr. Janz definitely knows how to tease an audience. While in retrospect there were several well-placed clues in the first few scenes I genuinely expected this story to produce a different ending than the one we were given. It was deliciously easy to misinterpret what was actually happening and while I would have strongly preferred to see less stereotypical treatment of certain characters the author maintained a consistently frightening atmosphere from the beginning to the end of this tale. By the final scene I had to remind myself to keep breathing as I uncovered the final mystery.

The Clearing of Travis Coble is gut-wrenching, politically incorrect horror. It’s a good choice for readers in the mood for a truly frightening story that works best when taken at face value.

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

Halo of the Damned by Dina Rae

April 24, 2013 By 3 Comments

HaloOftheDamnedFINALCover2ndpic (1)

Halo of the Damned by Dina Rae
Publisher: Eternal Press
Genre: Horror, Paranormal
Length: Full (291 pgs)
Rated: 3 Stars
Review by Rose

A chain of advertising agencies, a new breed of humans, and a fallen angel to worship…

Andel Talistokov is known for his slick advertising agencies across the globe. He is a fallen angel that uses advertising as a weapon for Satan’s work. His growing power emboldens him to break several of Hell’s Commandments. Furious with his arrogance, Satan commands him to return to Hell after finding his own replacement. Yezidism, an ancient angel worshiping religion, quietly expands throughout the West. Armaros appears as a guest of honor during their ceremonies. He mates with young women to produce nephilim, a mixed race of humans and angels. They are alone and unprepared for their supernatural power. Joanna Easterhouse, a recovering drug addict, steps out of prison shortly after her mother’s fatal accident. She and her sister, Kim, unravel their mother’s secretive past. Intrigued, they learn their bloodline is part of a celestial legacy. Both worlds collide. Halo of the Damned is a horrifying tale that weaves research together with suspenseful twists and turns.

This book is not for the faint of heart or those sensitive to blood, gore, and general not-nice-activities–but, if you are you probably wouldn’t pick up a book about demons anyway, because–let’s face it– demons, by their very nature– are evil. And, evil beings do things that are— well— evil. Which leads to the conflicts in this book.
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Andel is in the same position Satan was in before the fall–he wants to take Satan out and be worshipped himself. Joanna and her family come from a long line of angel warriors who stand against the evil–however, it takes them a while to find out about this because there was a family schism. There’s also a hidden connection between Joanna and Andel that complicates issues.

I can see Halo of the Damned as a movie. It’s fast paced, there are a lot of characters, and Ms. Rae doesn’t let you catch your breath from start to finish.

The main issue with the book, though, is it could have used an editor’s hand. Ms. Rae is very fond of using words instead of said in tag lines–so much that it took away from the story for me. For example, on one page –out of five paragraphs–the tag lines were “demanded Joanna”; “Harriet announced”; “Kim yelled”; and “warned Harriet”. There were also incidents where the author told the reader what the characters were feeling, instead of showing us–again, taking this reader out of the action of the book. I only mention these because if they took me out of the book’s action, I’m afraid they would other readers as well.

However, if technical issues like that don’t bother your reading, the storyline itself is very well done. Like I said before, reading this book was like watching a fast-paced horror movie… and, in the end, there’s an awful lot to be said for that. A good story is a good story—and Ms. Rae is (pardon the pun) one hell of a good storyteller.

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

The Graveyard Speaks by Hunter Shea

April 22, 2013 By Leave a Comment

SPEAKS
The Graveyard Speaks by Hunter Shea
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Paranormal
Length: Short Story (51 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Some secrets can’t stay buried.

Deep in a dark, snow-covered cemetery, a terrifying, moaning apparition rises from the same grave night after night. Even the most hardened caretakers won’t go near the Spooner gravestone on their midnight rounds. Only one ghost hunter has the will to face the unknown, but at what price? In the chilling blackness, only Jessica Backman is prepared to answer the spectral cry from beyond when the graveyard speaks.

Are ghosts capable of suffering? Can they feel the same breadth of emotions that are available to human beings?

It was purchase cheap cialis an Epicurean return to my childhood, as we reveled in old family stories. This is to say that the majority of traditional anti-estrogens like Nolvadex since there is no rebound effect. cialis professional uk These brushes are usually provided with your hearing aid, but a soft toothbrush will also do buy levitra australia the job. You have to be enrolled in a DMV-approved driver education course order viagra without prescription http://deeprootsmag.org/2015/03/03/bob-marovichs-gospel-picks-19/ is certifiable and sanctioned by the authorities. Jessica has an unusual talent that piqued my curiosity as soon as I learned about it. What made it even more interesting is that she doesn’t understand how it works or why only some people have it. For a book this length, not going into detail on this subject is sensible. As much as I would have loved to learn more about her past a lengthy exposition would not have been appropriate while Jessica was busy stalking the dead.

This story was fast-paced and plot-driven. While it was exciting to have my questions answered in rapid succession there wasn’t much space allotted to character development. Jessica is a dedicated, talented ghost hunter but I have trouble describing her personality and interests outside of this aspect of her life. Hopefully the sequel will explore who Jessica is as a well-rounded woman in more detail because I am quite intrigued with this character’s courage and ability to think on her feet!

It wasn’t until I finished reading The Graveyard Speaks that I realized it was part of a series. While there are several brief references to a tragedy that took place many years ago this tale can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. I didn’t know anything about these characters before I started reading and I had no trouble quickly figuring out what was happening.

The Graveyard Speaks is a tantalizing glimpse into a world where the line between the natural and supernatural is thin, grey and smudged. I, for one, cannot wait to visit it again.

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

Going Up by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime

April 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment

UP
Going Up by Stephanie Bedwell-Grime
Publisher: Samhain Publishing
Genre: Horror, Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery
Length: Short Story (46 pages)
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Some secrets should remain hidden.

Investigative journalist Beckett Hayes hopes a stay at a Caribbean resort is just what she needs to recharge her batteries. But mysterious clanging in the night doesn’t let her get much rest. Outside her hotel room, she finds an overgrown, seemingly abandoned elevator leading up the hill. The hotel staff insists the elevator hasn’t worked in years, but Beckett can’t shake the feeling they’re hiding something. Sensing a story, she’s determined to find out the truth. But will she be alive to tell it when she finds out what awaits her at the top of the hill?

How curious is too curious? Is it always a good idea to dig to the bottom of a mystery?

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I was confused by Beckett’s decision to travel alone internationally without packing a cellphone, though, especially since she thought to bring her laptop with her. Even the safest tourist destination can be struck by a natural disaster, outbreak of a communicable disease or other unexpected calamity and it seemed odd to me that she would fail to take such a basic safety precaution. In an emergency the cost of calling or texting out of the country is worth it in order to keep in touch with loved ones and send and receive valuable information. I was also puzzled by her decision to pursue more information about what was really happening at the resort without telling friends or family what was happening first. Her single act of communication with the outside world was vague and didn’t seem to blend in well with her identity as a sophisticated, single professional. Surely anyone who travels alone would be more accustomed to keeping loved ones informed of what is actually happening on the road!

Poor decisions aside this was a well-paced story that tantalized me with subtle clues about what was really going on from the very beginning. Because Beckett’s first few encounters with the mystery of the island happen after she’s sampled rum punch I wasn’t sure how much I could rely on her understanding until the truth was slowly revealed.

Going Up really ought to have a sequel written for it one day. In the meantime I recommend it for anyone in the mood for a sun-soaked getaway that may not be exactly what it appears to be at first glance.

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

Obsession by JoAnne Keltner

April 15, 2013 By Leave a Comment

OBESSSION
Obsession by JoAnne Keltner
Publisher: Musa Publishing
Genre: Young Adult, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Contemporary, Paranormal, Horror
Length: Short Story (143 pages)
Age Recommendation: 12+
Rating: 3 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

Some obsessions know no boundary…not even death.

Abby had the perfect suburban life: shopping sprees at the mall, a pool in her backyard, a dream bedroom, a best friend… That is, until her family moved to the backwoods of Wisconsin.

Abby plans to prove this backwoods dump is no place for a thirteen-year-old. So when her parents hire a carpenter and his son, Greg, she hangs out with the older boy to make her parents worry. But Greg turns out to be a total creep, and although Abby tells him she doesn’t like him, he continues to make her life miserable, watching her, trying to get close to her, threatening her.

What’s creepier is the mysterious brown-haired girl that keeps appearing and disappearing without saying a word. When Abby finds the girl’s old diary in the outbuilding, she learns that they share a common enemy, Greg.

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What could be worse than moving to a half-finished house in the middle of nowhere?

Abby’s mood swings and pessimistic attitude make it difficult to sympathize with her plight. Yes, changing schools and moving to a new state can be really stressful but from the moment she sees their new home Abby is determined to hate everything about it. Her intelligent and intuitive understanding of human nature soften the edges of her character, though, and after a few chapters I found myself looking forward to her witty, insightful descriptions of her family and friends.

Greg is one of the creepiest teenagers I’ve ever met in a young adult novel. Phrases that would sound harmless coming from anyone else in this story take on a much darker meaning when he leans in and quietly whispers them to Abby when no one else is listening. I would have preferred to see a deeper exploration of his personality and life history as the chapter in his life that probably molded his socially inappropriate behavior as a young adult was mentioned so briefly some readers may miss that clue. Those that figure it out will be rewarded with a chilling glimpse of Greg’s most important influences, though, as no one is born with the desire to terrorize other people!

I had trouble figuring out an appropriate age recommendation for this book. There was some use of inappropriate language and while the protagonist is quite appealing to tweens there are a few scary scenes that I would hesitate to recommend for anyone younger than twelve.

Obsession is a great stepping stone for middle school students who love the paranormal or horror genres and are ready to transition to slightly more mature stories. It’s spooky and spine-tingling without resorting to the blood and guts found in many adult stories in this style of writing but the plot is complex enough to to easily hold the interests of this age group.

Filed Under: Reviews, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Night Terrors by Jonathan Janz

April 12, 2013 By 1 Comment

TERRORS
Night Terrors by Jonathan Janz
Savage Species Part One
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Mystery, Horror
Length: Short Story (118 pages)
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Ginger

Peaceful Valley is about to become a slaughterhouse!

Savage Species, Part 1

For the first time ever, Samhain Publishing will serialize a terrifying original novel, Savage Species, in five installments, with new installments coming every two weeks. Here, as a special introduction to the fear that awaits you in Savage Species, is the first section, Night Terrors, absolutely free!
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Jesse thinks he’s caught a break when he, the girl of his dreams, and her friend are assigned by their newspaper to cover the opening weekend of the Peaceful Valley Nature Preserve, a sprawling, isolated state park. But the construction of the park has stirred an evil that has lain dormant for nearly a century, and the three young people—as well as every man, woman, and child unlucky enough to be attending the grand opening—are about to encounter the most horrific creatures to ever walk the earth. A species so ferocious that Peaceful Valley is about to be plunged into a nightmare of bloodshed and damnation.

Night Terrors is an intriguing suspenseful start as the first book in a chilling quintet. This gory tale follows a young group of newspaper writers covering the opening weekend of the newly constructed Peaceful Valley Nature Preserve Park and a unhappily married new mom whose only wish is for her husband to help with their six month old son and for him to stop paying his attractive assistant coach so much attention.

Emma Cayce, a young ball of energy, is reluctant to go on this news assignment to the park opening. Jesse Hargrove is happy to be anywhere Emma is. While they are out interviewing Frank Red Elk, the lone Algonquin descendent, they are invaded by green eyed inhuman creatures.

Eric Florence is a married basketball coach with a newly constructed home and a new baby. His wife, Charly is unhappy and tired of being ignored by her husband. Will the disruption of the unwelcome gory monsters bring the couple together after a tragic event in the Florence’s household?

Mr. Janz has a powerful imagination that has created an engrossing goose bump plot. I mean in the sense of ‘covering your eyes’ during a scary movie fear. The first installment, all though it’s just a teaser, draws you in with a mix of suspense and thriller. Mr. Janz has a way with delivering a descriptive writing style that puts you right in the thick of things. I was so involved with the story my heart was crushed at the abrupt ending. I personally would like to have seen the main characters more developed as far as giving them a deeper physical description. Overall the author did a fantastic job in building part one of Night Terrors to a gripping intensity that will have you anticipating the next installment.

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