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Book Review: Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror by Shane Hawk

Cover art for Anoka by Shane Hawk

Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror by Shane Hawk

Black Hills Press, 2020

ISBN-13: 9798674225195

Available: Paperback, Kindle, Audible ( Amazon.com )

The titular Anoka, Minnesota is a small town outside of the Twin Cities with the title of “The Halloween Capital of the World”, a title held since 1937. Cheyenne and Arapaho author Shane Hawk presents his debut horror collection of six short stories exploring themes of family, grief, loneliness, and identity in indigenous life.

In “Soilborne”, a couple’s fussy child Roland is not what the tiny thing seems.

“Wounded” addresses missing and murdered indigenous women. Philip Wounded’s sister 12-year old sister, Pippa, was kidnapped and murdered after he shirked his responsibility in picking her up from school. After that, he took up the bottle, pills, and anything else that could bury his guilt. When he finds an old book in his grandfather’s shed, his problems get worse.

“Orange”, a powerful piece of flash fiction, tells the story of a man who is haunted by the death of his wife and unborn child after a drunk driving accident.

In “Imitate”, a father believes his young son is not who he claims to be. I love creepy kid stories, so this one was right up my alley. Hawk’s descriptions of the son, Tate, are spooky, and a scene where the father comes face to face with…something… in a small enclosed space, was intense.

It would be hard to follow “Imitate” with more scares, but Hawk manages to do just that with “Dead America”. An award-winning author struggling with severe writers block begins to have nightmares about a giant spider and her babies, who accuses him of stealing tales from his people and claiming them as his own. This one has a good dose of body horror for those of us who appreciate it.

In “Transfigured”, Hawk weaves a tale of a werewolf who just wants to belong, to be a part of something that they never could as a child: Halloween.

At the end of each story, Hawk provides story notes that gives the reader some history or inspiration behind these tales of horror. It is a nice touch, especially for people unfamiliar with the legends Hawk refers to. I recommend this collection to horror readers who are interested in genre literature by indigenous authors. The first story I read from Hawk was in Howls From Hell, which I also reviewed for Monster Librarian. I will be keeping this author on my radar. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on December 5, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

cover art for My Heart Is A Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones

Gallery/Saga Press, 2021

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1982137632

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, audiobook (  Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com  )

 

 

Jade Daniels is part Blackfeet, but she’s 100% a fan of slasher movies. Living with her divorced, alcoholic father and barely scraping through high school while working as a janitor, where her drug-dealing boss is sexually harassing her, she spends most of her time watching slasher flicks, from the obscure to the popular. Without anyone to talk to about her love of these movies, she puts her energy and knowledge about them, and especially about final girls, in her extra-credit history papers. She is certain there’s a slasher ready to start on her own community, Proofrock, located in rural Idaho, if only she can identify the final girl and educate her. There are plenty of places that would make perfect locations and reasons for revenge, like Camp Blood, an abandoned summer camp on the lake that was closed after mysterious deaths, and Terra Nova, the new, exclusive development that’s being built on the opposite side of the lake on land that until recently was part of a national forest.  There are even spooky urban legends.

 

 

Then Jade meets Letha Mondragon, daughter of the developer of Terra Nova. She thinks she’s met her final girl, and that finally the bloodshed is about to start.  Jade just has to figure out where and why, and educate Letha on the ins and outs of surviving to be the final girl. Jade is about to discover, though, that life doesn’t always fit a pre-defined narrative.

 

My Heart is a Chainsaw is a love letter to the slasher genre and a validation for those who grew up loving it. If you aren’t a fan of slasher films, the references to even obscure slasher films will go over your head. The structure of the book means the narrative is frequently interrupted by Jade’s extra-credit papers on slasher films, which will help fill in the blanks for those who aren’t familiar with the genre, but while these build background knowledge, they do slow the narrative down. The characters aren’t especially likable and it’s sometimes even confusing to tell them apart. Jones doesn’t even name some of them, although when he does choose to develop a character he does it thoroughly.

 

As the reader gets further into the book the pace picks up and the body count rises. There are absolutely gruesome moments as well as plenty of gore. I do not have a strong stomach for these, so it’s a testament to Jones’ writing that I read this from beginning to end almost nonstop. Readers who love slasher films and have a high tolerance for violence and gore will find a lot to like in this bloody valentine.

 

Contains: violence, blood, gore, mass murder, sexual harassment, implied child sexual abuse, attempted suicide

 

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

 

 

Posted on November 25, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: The Things in Heaven and Earth by Michael Scott Hopkins

cover art for The Things in Heaven and Earth by Michael Scott Hopkins

The Things in Heaven and Earth by Michael Scott Hopkins

Black Rose Writing, 2021

ISBN: 9781684337118

Available: paperback, Kindle ( Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com )

 

The Things in Heaven and Earth is a good read the first time around, but it may take another read in order to understand all the details; some of the early chapters make a lot more sense the second time through.  That said, it’s still a good, imaginative take on the conflict between God and Satan (although those names aren’t really used) being played out through intermediaries on Earth.

 

Nash Baxter is a character with a convoluted life.  He shot and killed his family as a child, became a personal injury lawyer, then quit to become a paranormal hoax-buster and best-selling author, and somehow he is the repository of some of Satan’s life force.  If that isn’t enough, Nash can see real ghosts, and the demons that bind the ghosts to this plane of existence.  Sound complicated?  It is, both to the reader and to Nash.  When explanations are provided, Nash has an engaging habit of telling characters to give it to him in plain English, instead of using metaphysical jargon.  Some parts may still not make complete sense to the reader, but there’s enough to get the gist of it and follow the story.

 

As twisting as the plot is, it keeps you engaged through the uncertainty, to keep turning the pages to see where the story goes next.  Nash is a good leading man, and you’ll find it easy to relate to his down to earth manner.  He meets an assortment of odd companions along the way: his supposedly dead brother, a doctor who is granted mystical healing powers, real people with phantom personalities… quite the eclectic collection.   Somehow, the story holds all of them, and threads together nicely, keeping the interest level high.  The adversity faced by Nash and Co. is also unpredictable; a lightning bolt alone can provide three instant demon enemies for Nash and his friends.  The reader won’t be sure who the antagonists are in the story until close to the end; the author does a good job painting both sides in mystery.  Eventually, all becomes (mostly) clear, and the story wraps up nicely with a final confrontation between Nash and his enemies.

 

It’s a strange, convoluted tale, but it’s an entertaining one, although it might be a bit much for readers who like their fiction straightforward and easy to comprehend.  If you want a story that veers all over the basepaths yet somehow still crosses home plate in style, The Things in Heaven and Earth is for you.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on November 3, 2021 by , Reply
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