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Book Review: Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay

Disappearance at Devil’s Rock by Paul Tremblay
William Morrow Books, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0062363275
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, library binding, audiobook, audio CD

Last year’s Stoker winner for best novel was one of the least anticipated in many years. People who read it knew that A Head Full of Ghosts was a shoo-in; it simply was one of the strongest horror novels in several years.  Paul Tremblay’s characters seemed as real as the next-door neighbors, despite the suggestion of supernatural involvement in the events of the story, the multiple perspectives he used were smoothly integrated, yet somehow formed a disorienting and frightening narrative.

Disappearance aat Devil’s Rock is a definite departure in terms of tone and style. It’s a subtle tale, yet one with plenty of tension and plot twists. From the first page, it’s as if Tremblay is whispering to the reader in a dark and secluded New England pub on a chilly autumn evening. What begins as a simple case of a missing teenager turns into something quite sinister that tears at the fabric of a family’s sanity.

Elizabeth Sanderson receives that dreaded call– Tommy, her teenage son has gone missing.  He disappeared in Borderland Park at his friends’ favorite hangout, Devil’s Rock. One night, pages of Tommy’s journal begin to appear on the floor of the house, opening a box of puzzle pieces that don’t quite seem to fit together.  Elizabeth, her daughter Kate, and her mother Janice, struggle to figure out what the late night pages mean. As Elizabeth delves into the mystery, she finds that everyone has a different version of what happened, and that Tommy’s friends are hiding something, or someone. There are even sightings of him around town: is there a chance that Tommy is still alive?

Where Tremblay succeeds in his novels, and this has been noted in several other reviews, is in focusing on the spaces between words, actions, and characters’ relationships. The supernatural may be a component of Disappearance at Devil’s Rock, or just an illusion. This is a thinking reader’s horror/thriller/mystery/suspense novel, but it is as accessible and quick a read as any bestselling page-turner, and might be the one to break down the genre walls for Tremblay.  Recommended.

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

Posted on October 24, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: A Congregation of Jackals by S. Craig Zahler

A Congregation of Jackals by S. Craig Zahler
Dorchester Publishing, 2011
ISBN: 978-0843964158

Editor’s note: This reviews the 2011 novel from Dorchester Publishing, now defunct. The cover image links to a new edition published in 2017 by Raw Dog Screaming Press.

A Congregation of Jackals is an intricate, cautionary, Wild West tale of what can happen if evil is left unchecked, and people allow themselves to grow complacent towards wickedness.

Rancher Oswell Danford and his brother receive a telegram from a former member of their old gang, inviting them to his wedding in Montana. Within the telegram, however, is the hidden message that a reckoning is coming to all of them. The deeds that led to this reckoning are explained by Oswell himself in a letter that he writes to his wife as he is traveling to the town of Trailspur. In a narrative never told to her before, he describes how, as bank robbers, their moral borders were progressively blurring, to the point that they even committed cold-blooded murder during their robberies, until they were offered a job by a man named Quinlan. (“I had never been involved with wickedness, with evil, until I meet [sic] the man that wrote that note,” Oswell writes.)

    After the job, faced with the absolute extreme of what they could become, the men are “scared straight” and go on to lead fairly normal lives for several years. Oswell and his men, in their own ways, have tried to repent for their past transgressions by leading specifically-structured lives (i.e. marriage, becoming religious, not bearing children), but fate interrupts their self-granted pardons.  Their choice to go to Montana and try to protect themselves and the people of Trailspur on their own, like all of their dealings with Quinlan (and the episodes surrounding him) has catastrophic results. What makes this story more troubling is that the sheriff of the town and other law enforcement officers, all seasoned enforcers, see the signs that something is wrong, but either choose to ignore it altogether or underestimate the malevolence that waits to destroy them all.

This story does not contain a supernatural element, nor does it need one: the characters, even down to Zahler’s paladin, the white-charger riding Deputy Goodstead, contribute in their own ways to the chilling, savage events that are worse than any mere ghost or goblin could contrive—to battle the Ruthless, the Just eventually become ruthless themselves. All of the characters are complex: the four men of the Tall Boxer Gang did horrendous things, and do not totally acknowledge the damage they caused, but the reader is sympathetic nonetheless. Even Alphonse, the sadistic Frenchman that creates “art” out of living subjects, has a moment of incredible but genuine concern for Quinlan, which somehow does not seem totally out of place (at least to me) despite his sociopathic tendencies.

There are several themes in this complex work that cannot be addressed in a short review. A Congregation of Jackals explores the nature of evil and how far-reaching and destructive its taint can be, especially to the innocent. In the end, according to Zahler, the Devil will have his due…and then some. When that occurs, everyone is damaged and satisfaction is achieved by no one, even the damned. This novel is recommended and would be interesting fodder for an adult-aged book club or any fan of horror who likes more meat in their novels than the superficial, hack-and-slash fare.

Contains: graphic violence, gore, sex

Reviewed by: W. E. Zazo-Phillips

Posted on October 22, 2018 by , Reply

Book List: It’s Teen Read Week! Revisiting Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ Original Den of Shadows Quartet

The Den of Shadows Quartet: In the Forests of the Night (#1), Demon in My View (#2), Shattered Mirror (#3), Midnight Predator (#4) by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Ember, 2009

ISBN-13: 978-0385738941

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

In the days before Twilight and Harry Potter, and the explosion of paranormal creatures and vampires in YA fiction, fictional vampires were still mostly terrifying, although once Buffy came along, there was also a little romance. Thirteen-year-old Amelia Atwater-Rhodes entered this remarkably different publishing market with something new: even Amazon’s review suggests that teen readers of adult authors like Anne Rice might want to check this out. While L.J. Smith and Annette Curtis Klause had also written YA vampire novels, there’s nothing quite like being a teen reading a good book written by someone your own age, and the Den of Shadows books are very different from either The Vampire Diaries or The Silver Kiss. 

Atwater-Rhodes’ first book, In the Forests of the Night, was followed by three others: Demon in my View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator,  published in 2002. Monster Librarian reviewed these four books, which were extremely popular at the time, and were all written while she was still in her teens. After these four books, she changed to writing about shapeshifters (the Kiesha’ra series), and, honestly, I lost track of her books. She returned to writing books in the Den of Shadows world in 2008, completing four more: Persistence of Memory, Token of Darkness, All Just Glass, Poison Tree, and Promises to Keep, published in 2013.  She is still writing, has since moved on to write an additional fantasy trilogy (the Maeve’ra series), and has a contract to write for the adult market.

While I haven’t kept up on Atwater-Rhodes’ writing since her first Den of Shadows quartet, it’s pretty cool that she’s kept writing and her books have kept selling! So, for teenage writers everywhere, take heart. It is possible to achieve that dream.

 

Editor’s note: Reviews date from 2005.

 


In the Forests of the Night by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Laurel Leaf, 2000

ISBN: 0440228166

Available: New and Used

 

In the Forests of the Night is the first in a series of books by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. She introduces us to Risika, a 300 year old vampire who finds herself in the territory of a rival vampire, Aubrey, who is responsible for killing her family. The book is divided up between the past, when Risika was first turned into a vampire 300 years ago; and the present day, where she must fight Aubrey. When I first started to review young adult horror, author Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’s name came up as a must-read author for teens. Much has been made of the fact that she was 14 when In the Forests of the Night was published. I can see why her books appeal to teen readers, especially reluctant readers. The action moves quickly and the writing style is easy to follow. Adult readers may also enjoy Amelia Atwater-Rhodes’ books. They are quick and addictive little reads, leaving you ready for more. In The Forests of the Night is a core title for young adult collections. Sequels include Demon in My View, Shattered Mirror, and Midnight Predator.

Contains: vampire violence, bloodletting.

 

Demon In My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Delacorte Press, 2000

ISBN: 038532720X

Available: New and Used.

 

Demon in My View is set in a world developed by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes where vampires exist, prey upon humans, and are hunted by witches. In this installment we are introduced to Jessica, a teen who is a social outcast, who has written a popular book about vampires and witches under a pen name. After the book is published two new students appear at her school: Caryn, who seems to go out of her way to befriend Jessica, and Alex, a teen who resembles the villainous vampire in her book. Demon In My View is a well-written book that will appeal to those who like the Buffy the Vampire Slayer books. It could have just as easily ended up in the paranormal romance category, but the vampires in this series are more predatory creature. I would recommend this book for those looking for additional vampire fiction. A core book in young adult vampire horror.

Contains: Violent fight sequence, blood sucking.

 

Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Laurel Leaf, 2003

ISBN: 0440229405

Available: New and Used.

 

Shattered Mirror  is the third book in Atwater-Rhodes’ world of vampires and witches. This time around the story is about teen vampire hunter Sarah Vida, who starts off believing all vampires should be destroyed. However, when two vampires, Nissa and Christopher, arrive at her school, she finds herself befriending them. She discovers that vampires are more than the simple killing machines her in which her mother has raised her to believe. An underlying story involves Sarah’s hunt for one of the most notorious vampires around, Nikolas. Another solid entry for the readers of vampire fiction. Atwater-Rhodes is a gifted story teller and doesn’t disappoint with this book. Another core book for the vampire collection.

Contains: Violence and blood sucking and letting,

Midnight Predator by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes

Delacorte Books, May, 2002

ISBN: 0385327943.

Available: New and Used

 

The fourth installment in Atwater-Rhodes’ series introduces two vampire hunters from a group called Crimson. Turquoise Drakaour and her rival, Raven, are hired to assassinate Jeshikah, a vampiress who has created a place called Midnight, where human beings are enslaved and broken for the use of vampires. Once a young girl captured by the vampires, Turquoise must deal with her tormented past and face her old vampire master in order to complete her mission.

Although this book follows the general formula that Atwater-Rhodes has used in her other books, its descriptions of abusive behavior toward the main character give it a darker tone. This difference makes it hard to reconcile the story with the universe she has created, so it is more difficult to escape into the world of the book. Fans of Atwater-Rhodes will probably enjoy this title, but it is not recommended as an introduction to her books. Other books in the series include  In the Forests of the Night, Demon in My View and Shattered Mirror.

Contains: descriptions of physical and psychological abus

 

Reviewed by Dylan Kowalewski

 

Posted on October 8, 2018 by , Reply
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