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Book Review: Those Poor, Poor, Bastards (Dead West, Book 1) by Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin, and Kenny Soward

Those Poor, Poor Bastards (Dead West, Book 1) by Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin, and Kenny Soward

Ragnarok Publications, 2014

ISBN: 978-0991360529

Availability: paperback

 

In Those Poor, Poor Bastards, all Hell breaks loose when Nina and her father go to a small frontier town for supplies, and discover the town is overrun with zombies. Escaping along with a small group of survivors, Nina and her father escape. While they search for a safe refuge, they rescue a family in the woods, and come upon the long-abandoned Ft. Bluff, where they can fortify their defenses. There, Nina and the others meet a Jesuit priest, Father Mathias, who possesses strange powers that can kill the zombies.

Father Mathias tells our survivors about the mysterious Liao Xu, a man who sold his soul to the devil. The priest reveals that he has taken an artifact of great power from Liao Xu. Liao Xu attacks the fort to retrieve the artifact, and those who survive the attack end up as reluctant participants in an effort to stop the mysterious man from destroying the rest of humanity.

The first in a series, Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a fantastic book in the Western horror sub-genre. Marquitz, Martin, and Soward, combine their storytelling talents into a seamless narrative that takes a different look at the sometimes overused zombie trope. It is a fast-paced tale, but the character development doesn’t suffer because of it. There is more than one villain here, making Those Poor, Poor Bastards quite entertaining. I especially enjoyed the heroine, Nina, who is a well-rounded, complex character.

If you like zombies, or Western horror in general, then I recommend picking this one up, and I look forward to reading subsequent installments in the Dead West series. Recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, adult language and situations

Reviewed by: Colleen Wanglund

Posted on April 11, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: What Happens in the Darkness by Monica J. O’ Rourke

What Happens in the Darkness by Monica J. O’Rourke

Sinister Grin Press, 2013

ISBN: 978-0983911883

Availability: paperback

 

The United States has been attacked by its enemies. Cities are devastated, and now vampires, previously hidden, are running rampant, and looking to take over. Janelle is a twelve-year-old girl trying to survive the aftermath of war in New York City and discovers her mother is one of the vampires.

Jeff was guarding some of the most powerful vampires at an army base in upstate New York. He releases them, only to end up a vampire himself, against his will. Martin, their leader, will try to protect him as long as he stays loyal. Unfortunately, Jeff’s loyalties are divided.

Monica O’Rourke has written an intriguing take on the (sometimes) tired vampire sub-genre. Her characters are interesting, and the storylines, especially Jeff and Janelle’s, are quite compelling. I enjoyed reading a story in which America was a weakened victim of the Global Dominion, with the possibility that the country might not survive. It’s not the extreme horror that I have come to love by O’Rourke, although there is a horrific rape scene that I found quite disturbing. What Happens in the Darkness is an excellent read. Recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, violence, adult situations, rape, and profanity.

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on April 11, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls by Mark McLaughlin

Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls by Mark McLaughlin

Wildside Press, 2014

Available: New paperback

ISBN-13: 978-1479401888

 

Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls is a wonderful collection of horror and the bizarre that spans the author’s career of original and compelling storytelling.

Among my favorites are “The Final Broadcast of Sugarville’s Channel 7 Action News,” an entertaining take on global warming and the destruction of the planet told in its entirety through the station’s final news broadcast; “Drool Tool: The Meltdown Mix”, about a band’s weird music that has a catastrophic effect on the people who hear it; “Agatha Says”, which deals with the weird changes taking place at a nursing home recently bought by an eccentric resident; “Claws of the Internet Witches”, which follows the internet chat room of a coven of witches out to destroy humanity; and “Soft Bones”, about a young man with a debilitating disease, and how one woman tries to help him.

 

There isn’t a bad story in the collection. McLaughlin’s style of writing is weird, quirky, and at times squirm-inducing; a very entertaining read. What I really like about McLaughlin’s writing is his ability to inject dry humor into even the most horrific of tales. If you like your horror weird, bizarre, and funny, then Hideous Faces, Beautiful Faces is right up your alley. Recommended.

Contains: blood and gore

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on April 4, 2015 by , Reply
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