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Book Review: Experiments at 3 Billion A.M. by Alexander Zelenyj, illustrated by David Rix

Experiments at 3 Billion A.M. by Alexander Zelenyj

Eibonvale Press, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-9555268-5-5

Available: Hardcover (used), paperback (new and used)

    At first glance, the cover of Experiments at 3 Billion A.M. comes across as a science fiction story collection. For the most part it isn’t.  Instead it is a bizarre, surreal collection of forty short stories. Each story has its own illustration by David Rix. Mr. Zelenyj has an eloquent style of writing that gives each story a unique dark flavor and his vivid imagination bring the characters to life for the reader and takes them places they would never expect to go. Some of the stories pull on the heartstrings as they bring the reader close to the characters, but each story has its own dark place – some with brutal toothy malevolence while others are shadows full of emotional pain. The only complaint that the reader may have is that the eloquent wording at times slows some of the stories down. Experiments at 3 Billion A.M. is recommended for libraries looking for a story collection that is unique, dark and at times surreal.

Contains: Violence, Sex, Rape, Bestiality

Review by Bret Jordan

Posted on September 19, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Terror Is Our Business: Dana Roberts’ Casebook of Horror by Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale

Terror Is Our Business: Dana Roberts’ Casebook of Horror by Joe R. Lansdale & Kasey Lansdale

Cutting Block Press, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1732009004

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Now there are two Lansdales writing– watch out world! Joe’s readers know that the man branches out into whatever direction he wishes to, and most often, succeeds.

His daughter Kasey, a very talented singer/songwriter, brings a breath of fresh air with her as she joins her father in this collection, which defies simple categorization.

Dana and Jana are investigators of the “supernormal,” but very different in their approaches. Dana’s is reminiscent of Lovecraft and Holmes, while Jana is more of a Scully/Buffy character.

Dana (written by Joe) enters an old men’s club that will remind many of the Chowder Society (the group of fogies from Peter Straub’s Ghost Story), who sit back and entertain themselves with scintillating tales of the weird. She has been summoned to share her adventures, which she terms “supernormal,” since she believes everything under the sun can be explained– somehow. While she begins slowly and properly, her stories eventually become less restrained and more colorful.

Jana (penned by Kasey) kicks off the second half of the book. These accounts lighten the mood and leave the reader wanting more. By comparison, Joe’s stories feel almost stiff and forced, a possible homage to classic styles of Doyle, Lovecraft, and Machen. Jana is the Mulder to Dana’s Scully, more Kolchak than Holmes, and a great foil to Dana’s character.

Since Lansdale is notorious for falling for characters and having them reappear in subsequent books, we can hope to see Dana and Jana again. Recommended for any fan of good storytelling.

 

Posted on September 19, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: Berserk by Tim Lebbon

Berserk by Tim Lebbon

Leisure Books, 2006

ISBN: 0843954302

Available: New and Used

Tom’s son Steven was killed in a military accident, or so he was told. While at a bar, Tom overhears two military men talking about monsters at the base where Tom’s son died. One of the men tells Tom that Steven’s body wasn’t in the casket that he received, but rather was buried at the old base. Tom goes on a quest to find his son’s body and the truth about how he died. In searching for his son’s body at the base, he uncovers the corpse of a young girl, Natasha, who telepathically tells Tom that his son isn’t dead, and that if he helps her she will bring him to his son. The girl is a  berserker, a monster that was part of a military experiment. This leaves Tom and Natasha seeking other berserkers who escaped from the military base, and Tom’s son, while they are being hunted by Cole, a former military man who was part of the berserker project. This book goes fast. Once the action starts, it continues to flow, and Berserk ‘s plot keeps you turning the pages.

Contains: violence.

 

Reviewed by Dylan Kowalewski

 

 

Posted on September 6, 2018 by , Reply
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