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Book Review: From the Stars… A Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures

cover for From the Stars... A Vampiress

From the Stars…A Vampiress: An Unauthorized Guide to Vampirella’s Classic Horror Adventures by Steven A. Roman, with a forward by the official Vampirella historian Sean Fernald  (  Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com )

StarWarp Concepts, 2020

ISBN: 9780998236148

Available: Paperback

 

From the Stars…a Vampiress provides a great reference guide to one of the most recognizable female horror comics heroines, Vampirella. The first section, “The Vampire Who Fell to Earth”, tells her story from her initial creation by James Warren and Forrest J. Ackerman, and other writers and artists who helped her development such as Archie Goodwin, Jose Gonzalez, Trina Robbins, Frank Frazetta, Gonzalo Mayo, and many more, to her cancellation in 1982 after Warren Publishing closed its doors. The second section, “The Vampirella Episode Guide”, is an annotated bibliography of the Warren Publishing Vampirella stories, including ones that went unpublished. Entries include the names of the writer and artist, the issue in which the story was published, a list of main characters, setting, chronology, synopsis, and a brief review. This section makes up a bulk of the book. In the third section, “Vampi Goes to Hollywood”, Roman covers the 1966 Queen of Blood; a Vampirella film that never was, which was going to be produced by Hammer Films and to star Barbara Leigh and Peter Cushing; the unfortunate 1996 movie that starred Talisa Soto in the titular role, the Who’s Roger Daltrey, and an unfortunate redesign of Vampirella’s famous costume; and an entry that warranted less than a page about an animated film that never came to fruition. The fourth section, “The Literary Vampiress”, presents information on the Vampirella novelizations written by Ron Goulart and published by Warner Books. The fifth section provides just what it says, “The Vampirella Warren Era Checklist”. Roman presents a comprehensive list of all the Warren era Vampirella stories. Roman also includes reprint issues that were released by Dynamite Entertainment and Harris Comics.

The only criticism I have regards the use of illustrations. While there are amazing behind the scenes black and white photographs, there are very few pieces of artwork of the gorgeous Vampirella due to licensing. Otherwise, From the Stars…A Vampiress is not only a fantastic reference guide, but it is also a love letter to the fanged horror heroine. New fans and old will be interested in the Vampirella bibliography especially. Libraries that specialize in comics history should consider including this volume in their collection as well. Highly recommended.

Fun fact: One of my most prized comics is an issue of Vampirella with Julie Strain as the cover model.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on July 25, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson

cover of The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Davidson

The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson  ( Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com )

Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-374-53855-2

Available: Kindle, Paperback

 

 

The old witch Iskra knows the secrets of the bayou where Miranda runs her Alumacraft under the cypress trees in the murky, humid gloom. It’s an ugly, decaying place filled with lurking dangers, brutal violence, and the tragic history of its inhabitants. Miranda is linked to Iskra through the murder of her father and a ritual involving a web-fingered baby. In order to find her father’s bones, reunite Littlefish and his clairvoyant sister, and save her own life, Miranda must read the signs that are leading her into a mortal combat against evil forces. Her challenge involves the local constable, a crazy preacher, a dwarf, and a dead wife’s mistakes. No one is safe in The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson.

 

Davidson ratchets up the tension from the very first chapter and maintains it throughout as Miranda tries to stay one step ahead of her enemies and encounters drug dealers, murderers, and even supernatural forces. These forces have their origin in Russian myths to which Davidson adds a Southern Gothic spin. This makes for a setting that is as terrifying to the younger characters as nightmarish horror stories and yet is so realistically detailed that the reader can feel the saw grass and smell the rotting bodies. It is that very combination that makes the witchcraft believable and turns the events into the stuff of imagination. To Davidson’s credit, it is often difficult to tell where the line is between the two.

 

The plot of The Boatman’s Daughter moves at breakneck speed. Davidson’s characters might spend a few seconds thinking and planning, but the action never stops. The characters are mythological or fairytale figures in terms of good and evil, but they are always truly human which makes the evildoers all the more frightening and the heroine even more amazing. The rich descriptions and Davidson’s talent for keeping the reader entertained with a multi-layered and complicated plot make this an outstanding read that will make you dream of a film version while still being certain nothing can beat the book. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

Posted on July 24, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga (Jasper Dent, #1)

cover for I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga

I Hunt Killers by Barry Lyga  (  Bookshop.org  |  Amazon.com )

Little, Brown, Books for Young Readers, 2013

ISBN-13: 9780316125833

Available:  Hardvover, paperback, mass market paperback, Kindle edition, audio CD

Jasper is the 17 year old son of notorious serial killer Billy Dent. The trauma of being raised by Billy teaching him the skills, knowledge, and thought processes necessary to become a successful serial killer has left him with significant holes in his memory, causing him anxiety over what he might have done in the past and may do in the future. His longterm best friend Howie and girfriend Connie are his greatest supporters, but Jasper constantly second-guesses himself over whether their relationships with him are really solid or are just the results of manipulation.

In addition to the anxiety Jasper feels about himself, he also is drawn to use his knowledge when a murder occurs in his town that appears to be a copycat of his dad’s first discovered kill.  Despite being discouraged by the police from interfering with the investigation, Jasper involves himself. While they initially object, when it becomes clear that the killer is a copycat, he becomes a resource for the investigation. Unfortunately this makes some of the people around him targets, including friends and teachers.  Jasper struggles to deal with his impulses and relationships and the effect trauma has had on him and the people around him. How unreliable is he, really? Is he, deep down, a serial killer? Will he become a killer by the end of the book?

For the most part, I was able to get past the completely unrealistic setup of the book (as compromised as social services may be, I have difficulty believing Jasper would be left with his grandmother, who obviously has dementia, or that Howie’s overprotective parents would allow him anywhere near Jasper, for instance) because this was a magnetic, compulsive read that left my hands shaking and heart racing, and a real tribute to friendship and the trust and protectiveness friends can feel for each other (something not often seen in depictions of boys’ friendships).  This is not an easy read; there is no way to climb inside the mind of a serial killer (or even a fictional character describing what climbing into the mind of a fictional serial killer is like) or a severely traumatized teen without being at least a little shaken up. But it’s a compelling, disturbing, and original tale that will appeal particularly to boys. I Hunt Killers is the first in a trilogy, so teens who get hooked don’t have to wait for another hit.  Highly recommended.

Contains: Mutilation, torture, body horror, murder, gore, animal cruelty, discussions of rape.

 

Posted on July 22, 2020 by , Reply
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