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Book Review: A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney

A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney

Burning Willow Press, 2016

ASIN: B01N3JL331

Available: Kindle edition

 

It is called “The Event”.  The skies suddenly darken accompanied by booming thunder, flashing lightning and pounding rain.  World- wide, over half of the human population disappears.  Those remaining are filled with dark spirits or bright spirits, depending on their character.  Is this the Rapture promised in the Bible, or a rupture in the barrier between fairy and human worlds?

Livi is a beautiful, gifted artist who paints prophetic pictures of a fantastic, future world.  She is stripped of her friends and pursued by “shadow-mans”, flawed men possessed by the dark spirits.  Her hopes of escape and asylum rest with others who also have gifts from the bright spirits, the “sparkle-angels”.  One of their gifts is the ability to telepathically hear the thoughts of their loyal dogs. Livi is the key to whether the dark spirits or the bright spirits triumph.

She takes refuge at a farm in rural South Carolina owned by Conor and his wife, and meets children who survived massacres by marauding “shadow-mans”. Conor has lost his memory and the bright and dark spirits are battling for control of him.

Livi’s greatest threat is from Victor, a wealthy art connoisseur, who has bought or stolen paintings of the future world by Livi and another gifted artist.  He derives power from the paintings and women, whom he seduces or rapes.  Victor believes that when he ravishes Livi, he will become a god, controlling the dark power of the fairy world on earth.  He captures Livi and brings her to his fortress. Can Conor and his friends rescue her and save the world from domination by “shadow-mans”?

The author, Kerry Alan Denney, has written other successful novels that combine fantasy, the supernatural, science fiction and horror.  The plot of A Mighty Rolling Thunder is imaginative and is well paced.  Its characters are one-dimensional, but effectively sympathetic or despicable.  However, I am worried that the author went overboard in portraying Victor, whom Livi calls a “misogynistic, paranoid, schizophrenic psychopath”.  The many descriptions of Victor’s stiffening “little god” and desire to spread his “demon seed” when he thinks of his victims will disturb some readers.  Denney also uses offensive, racist language and stereotypes, including the “N_____ word”, several times, which will also be upsetting to readers. Not recommended.

Contains: Violence, gore, and strong sexual and offensive language

 

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee


Posted on November 6, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone

 The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone

ISBN: 9781501125041

Available: Kindle ebook, print

Release date: July 2016

 

Spiders. Man-eating spiders. Highly cooperative man-eating spiders. I’m relatively certain that I twitched my way through this book.

The Hatching begins in the jungles of Peru, with a guide leading  Minnesota businessman Henderson and three women on a path, when their seemingly quiet walk through the jungle is disturbed by a man screaming and making his way toward them. Their way is further blocked by what appears to be black liquid. The black substance washes over the poor man, sending the group running through the jungle.

The story then focuses on FBI Agent Rich in Minneapolis, who is investigating a fatal plane crash. He makes a gruesome discovery after a large spider crawls out of the face of one of the unfortunate passengers, who turns out to be Henderson. We learn that other countries are facing a similar problem, but no one is communicating, and things continue to unravel around the world.

In Washington, D.C., Professor Melanie Guyer receives a mysterious package from a dig site in Nazca, Peru. Inside is an ancient egg sac that contains a never-before-discovered spider that breeds at an alarming rate and has a taste for flesh.  The rest is the stuff of nightmares.

What unfolds are stories of different people all over the world trying to make sense of everything. The lives of the characters touch each other briefly or are more intimately entwined. The chapters jump from one location to another, but the way the story is told, it makes sense for them to do so. It actually adds to the confusion the characters feel, and also provides the reader at times with what is going on in multiple regions.

There are a few characters I really enjoyed. United States President Stephanie Pilgrim is a no-nonsense, strong, female character. She’s able to make quick decisions, but knows when she need to consult outside resources before making decisions like grounding worldwide travel. The survivalists of Desperation, California, including husband and wife Gordo and Amy and their friends, Shotgun and Fred (the town’s only gay survivalist couple), are an enjoyable crew.  Their characters are well-developed, and I enjoyed the dynamics and friendship between them.

I found the pacing to be a bit slow going at the beginning , but once the story picks up, it keeps a fast pace. It is also a frightening book. The way Boone describes the movement of the groups of spiders and how they act in a confined space within Dr. Guyer’s laboratory is disturbing. I read it in a relatively short time. I can’t tell if that was pure enjoyment or if I just wanted to see what happened with the spiders…ugh. This is a very good read. Fair warning, though: if you don’t like spiders, it would probably be best for you to stay away from this one. Recommended.

Note: The Hatching ends on a cliffhanger. Based on the author’s Goodreads page, he’s working on the next one, Skitter. Recommended.

Contains: a lot of spiders, some gore

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on July 20, 2016 by , Reply

You Might Be In A Horror Novel If…

The 25 Best Gothic Horror Books

You are in an abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere.

You are a governess, left alone with oddly acting or obviously evil children.

You are isolated from the rest of the world by weather, geography, and/or another outside force beyond your control.

You do not trust the evidence of your own senses.

 

You might be in The Turn of the Screw by Henry James,

or This House Is Haunted by John Boyne

 

It is stormy, dark and gloomy.

You are the captive of a scheming and sadistic governess, teacher, caretaker, or relative.

You are trapped in the walls, a basement, a closet, or an attic.

There is a hedge maze, Escher-style stairs, or carnivorous beast on the property.

Authorities are absent or unable to help you.

 

You might be in Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews,

or Misery by Stephen King

Your house is a former asylum or school, built over a graveyard, or the site of a cold-case murder.

You have specifically been told not to open a door.

Ghosts are either menacing you, possessing you, or asking you for help.

An inanimate object starts talking to you.

Someone is leading you through dark, underground tunnels or catacombs.

Your nightmares seem very, very real.

 

You might be in Down A Dark Hall by Lois Duncan,

or the stories of Edgar Allan Poe

 

It is bright and sunny, and everyone is very, very, happy.

 

You are uneasy without obvious reason.

You are uneasy with obvious reason.

Everyone in town is related to (or at least knows) everyone else.

There is a terrible secret in your town’s past (or present).

A disturbing community ritual, probably involving demon worship, is scheduled for the near future.

You are offered a favor in exchange for your soul.

You find a book or journal that clearly will summon an ancient evil.

 

You might be in  The Thirteen  by Susie Moloney

or The Stepford Wives by Ira Levin

 

A classified, experimental government program has gone awry.

An inexplicable and incurable virus has infected the majority of the population.

A malicious mythical creature attempts to eat you, assimilate you, or seduce you.

A vigilante or cult-like group is bent on destruction.

 

You might be in The Strain by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Toro

or The Fireman  by Joe Hill

 

Giant, mutated creatures are approaching.

Ominous, tentacled creatures appear on the scene.

The narrator or main character is showing clear evidence of insanity.

 

You might be in Maplecroft by Cherie Priest, Clickers by J.F. Gonzalez,

or the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

 

People are dying in brutal, horrifying, appalling ways.

Someone, or something, wants to eat you for dinner.

 

You might be in Succulent Prey by Wrath James White,

or Monster Island by David Wellington

 

Your perceptions are unreliable or distorted.

You can’t trust your memories.

You can’t trust the media.

You might be in A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

 

You have a feeling of bone deep terror.

That unending sense of dread just won’t go away.

You hear a loud “slam” and things go dark…

 

You’re probably trapped in a horror novel. Let’s hope that your reader decides to open up the book again, and gives you a chance to escape!

 

 

Editor’s note: not all books are appropriate for all readers.. and I wouldn’t wish any of you to be trapped in any of these! 

 

 

 

Posted on July 10, 2016 by , Reply
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