Home » Archive by category "Uncategorized" (Page 165)

Book Review: The Twisted Book of Shadows edited by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore

The Twisted Book of Shadows edited by Christopher Golden and James A. Moore

Twisted Publishing, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1949140156

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition

 

Christopher Golden and James A. Moore, inspired to create a diverse and varied horror anthology, teamed up with Haverhill House’s Twisted Publishing imprint to create a collection that did not include the heavy hitters of horror. They wanted to highlight stories by new authors, and give as many authors as possible a fair chance. They also wanted to be able to pay the authors more than a pittance. To that end, the editors created a GoFundMe crowdfunding project in October 2016, asked for submissions, and required a blind submission process. Out of the 700 stories they received, 19 were selected, also by a unique and diverse editorial committee, for the anthology. I noticed that ten, over half, of the stories are written by women.

In Melissa Swensen’s “The Pale Mouth”, the world must remain vigilant in constant lighting, and no shadow may be permitted indoors or out. Layla, as the Primary of her household, has responsibilities in taking care of the home. Every lightbulb is monitored and has a life counter. If any light is found to be out or defective, it is her fault. But the darkness is so tempting.

“Cake” by M.M. De Voe tells the story of a frazzled mother in second-person perspective. You can’t seem to get your spouse to help keep an eye on the children, and your beautiful toddler daughter has a knack for obtaining sharp objects. Surely, your two sons are to blame. Who could accuse that perfect blonde child who can’t even reach the counter of doing such a thing as getting the butcher knife, or getting a hold of the sharp cleaver, or locking the front door with you on the other side?

Eóin Murphy’s “The Birthing Pool” gives us a tale of Lovecraftian folk horror. A couple is expecting their firstborn child. Jim takes Sarah to the small fishing community of Danog to see his Aunt Sylvia for her final birth class. What happens is beyond Sarah’s comprehension. A town of cultists, ready to sacrifice their own firstborns at the birthing pool, is also ready to welcome Sarah’s sacrifice. However, Sarah isn’t one to back down, and Jim certainly deserves his comeuppance.

I have a soft spot for stories that include Alaska as a setting since it is my home state. In “Midnight Sun” by Andrew Bourelle, Alginak is the last of his people. Oil pipeline construction are destroying the land. He always seems to run into the same camp of white construction workers who don’t stop at the destruction of land, but also in killing the local wildlife, some of which he has befriended. Bourelle’s rich use of the Alaskan landscape is superb, and Alginak’s story is intense.

P.D. Cacek’s “Mirror, Mirror” centers on a mother’s obsession with watching over her terminally ill baby and her husband’s concern for her wellbeing. When he is finally able to convince her to rest, he makes a series of terrible mistakes.

That’s only a handful of the great stories in this anthology. I would like to see more collections curated in such a way where lesser known writers have the opportunity to publish their work. There are so many new voices, at least to me, in this volume that I want to continue reading. I do hope they all continue their craft. I’m glad to see that this has been nominated for a Stoker Award.

Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: The Twisted Book of Shadows  is a nominee on the final ballot of this year’s Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievment in an Anthology.

Posted on April 18, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: Out of Water by Sarah Read

Out of Water by Sarah Read

Trepidatio Press, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1950305056

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

There are a handful of authors who have emerged in the past year or two that have made a splash in the world of horror. Thankfully, many of them have been recognized either by review sites such as this one or through awards. I was handed The Bone Weaver’s Orchard last year and was impressed with the writing. Sarah Read immediately established herself in the top tier of new writers that would soon make waves in publishing. That novel overflowed with style and character that lent a “classic” tone to the story that felt both natural and fresh.

When Out of Water arrived from the always quality Trepidatio Press, I waited until I had time to enjoy these stories. That old cliche rang true once again: good things do come to those who have to wait for ideal times for great stories in the middle of chaotic lives!

Instead of hitting on every story here, I’ll focus on a few that resonated with me long afterwards or jarred me with an emotion right away. There were plenty.

“Endoskeletal” is a perfect representation of the modern horror story. Archaeology in the genre is always a treat. What begins as something that seems typical goes sideways pretty quickly, with a character who sticks with the reader in a memorable, claustrophobic tale.

“Making Monsters” grips the reader by the throat. Read examines the inner workings of its disturbing lead character, while making the story enteraining just as much as it is bleak.

“In Tongues”- just read it. Weird religious tales written well have a tendency to burrow under the skin, and the author nails it here.

Finally, “Underwater Thing” feels a bit Lovecraftian, yet wholly original as well. The father-daughter dynamic is painful but full of suspense. It’s probably the highlight of the collection.

Other stories hit on different cylinders, with topics that are wide-ranging but have a common thread. There’s a sense that mood will determine which story could be a favorite for that particular day which, for me, is a strong sign of a stellar collection. The writing is  detailed, but not flowery. Read imbues each story with just enough imagery for the reader to conjure the visions to bring each to life.

It’s easy to see why this book was shortlisted for the Bram Stoker Awards. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

Editor’s note: Out of Water was nominated to the final ballot of the 2019 Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection.

 

Posted on April 18, 2020 by , Reply

Book Review: Five Midnights by Ann Davila Cardinal

Five Midnights by Ann Cardinal Davila

Tor Teen, 2019

ISBN-13: 978-1250296078

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, and audiobook

“When the U.S. gets a cold, Puerto Rico gets pneumonia.” In the United States, the mainland tends to forget that Puerto Rico is part of the country, and many Puerto Ricans have learned that federal government agencies don’t really want to get involved when disaster hits due to this (witness the travesty of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria). Five Midnights takes place before the hurricane hit, but it is easy to see that mainlanders, mostly white and wealthy, are viewed with suspicion due to their contribution to gentrification, which is driving locals out of even middle class neighborhoods to areas where gangs, drugs and crime are profitable and attractive tp teenagers trying to make it in a struggling economy. It’s no surprise when Vico, a successful teenage drug dealer, dies violently while on his way to a deal, but what only the reader knows is that the death is due to a shadowy, clawed, supernatural creature.

Enter Lupe, a half-Puerto Rican, half-white teenager who has traveled from Vermont to Puerto Rico to spend the summer with her aunt and uncle (who is also the chief of police). Lupe is independent and contrary, and fascinated by crime, an interest her uncle has previously encouraged. The case of the drug dealer touches on a family member, her cousin Izzy, who has disappeared, and her uncle does not want her involved, but that only makes Lupe more determined. Lupe is feminist in a very teenage girl “I can do it myself, don’t you dare help me” kind of way,  an attitude that made an otherwise independent young woman seem like she needed to be rescued (for instance, walking into traffic because it was suggested she wait, and having to be pulled out of the street after nearly getting hit by a car). Her character does grow a lot as she meets a variety of people and experiences parts of Puerto Rico she wouldn’t have seen as a tourist and begins to understand the impact the mainland, and especially mainland investors, are having on the country. Cardinal does a great job in describing pre-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico. I almost felt like I was there. I want to give her props, too, for her portrayal of adults in the story. YA fiction frequently depicts adults as clueless and closed-minded, but when these teens really needed them, the majority of adults listened, and stepped up, without taking over.

Because Lupe resembles her white mother instead of her Puerto Rican father, she  also gets a lesson in colorism. Although she sees herself as Puerto Rican, the other teens she encounters call her “gringa”, white girl. It’s confusing to her at first, because she identifies as half-Puerto Rican, and can’t understand why no one else understands that. However, she comes to recognize that she does have white privilege and as a mainland American takes some things for granted that many Puerto Ricans cannot. At the same time, the friends she makes come to recognize that there are parts of her that are very Puerto Rican after all, even if they’re not immediately visible.

Our other major character is Javier, who grew up with Vico and Izzy, but kicked his drug habit and is working hard to stay clean and make up for the damage he did while he was involved with drugs. Despite a rocky beginning, Lupe and Javier decide to team up to find Izzy and solve Vico’s murder. They become more and more convinced that El Cuco, a shadowy supernatural creature bent on retribution is after Javier and his friends. It is refreshing to see a monster  grounded in local folklore, appearing in a contemporary story, instead of the same tired tropes.

I loved seeing Puerto Rico take center stage when so often it’s ignored, and enjoyed watching Lupe and Javier puzzle out the mystery and each other. The climax is an outstanding, terrifying, mystical, and visually evocative piece of writing. This was Cardinal’s debut novel, and I look forward to her next one, Category Five, set in post-Hurricane Maria Puerto Rico.  This is a truly Stoker-worthy book. Highly recommended.

 

Contains: violence, murder, mild gore, drug abuse

Editor’s note: Five Midnights was nominated to the final ballot of the 2019 Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in a Young Adult Novel.

Posted on April 15, 2020 by , Reply
First « 163164165166167 » Last