Home » Posts tagged "horror fiction" (Page 86)

Book Review: By Summer’s Last Twilight by Robert J. Stava

By Summer’s Last Twilight by Robert J. Stava

Deathwatch Books, 2015

ISBN-13: 978-1515150749

Available:  Paperback, Kindle edition

 

This is a rip-roaring story, combining elements of action, mystery and horror with a coming-of-age story: think of Stand By Me, Jack Reacher, and Indiana Jones and The Temple Of Doom.  The story begins in a town in the Hudson River Valley, where the grandson of Aleister Crowley, the notorious occultist, magician and libertine of the early 20th century, plots to create a new age and open a portal into another dimension of dark forces.

A group of teenagers, an English-born detective, and a small group of men who are descendants of townspeople who battled the dark forces in the previous generation, face off against Crowley’s grandson, other clandestine occultists in the town and mercenaries led by a mysterious mastermind, called the Weatherman.  The detective, the Weatherman and some other characters appeared in Stava’s previous books in his Hudson Horror series (The Feast of St. Anne and At Van Eyckmann’s Request).

Stava adeptly creates a mood of suspense and dread in which nature itself seems to embody danger and evil.  The heroes slowly come together as they learn the enormity of the threat and power of their adversaries.  Each of them must use their special abilities to fight their human enemies and hideous monsters, in a dramatic, hair-raising showdown.

Stava’s characters tend to be one-dimensional.  Heroes are sympathetic, and villains are despicable.  Sexual scenes are mild.  Violence is graphic, but not gory.  There are more than forty misspellings and grammatical errors that interrupt the reader’s concentration.  These errors were probably missed by a spell/grammar-checking algorithm, but would not have been missed by a human editor.  I would recommend this book for adults if the errors were corrected.

Contains: Sexual situations, graphic violence.

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee

Posted on October 28, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening by Marjorie Liu, artwork by Sana Takeda

Monstress, Volume 1 written by Marjorie Liu, artwork by Sana Takeda

Image Comics, 2016

ISBN: 9951632157096

Available: Kindle ebook, print

Monstress, Volume 1 collects issues 1-6 of a fantastic comic written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sana Takeda. The story is set in an alternate vision of 1900’s Asia, and includes elements of steampunk, kaiju, and horror fiction. The world includes humans, monsters, and magical creatures, existing in a constant state of struggle and war. The animal-hybrid Arcanics and the Cumea witch-nuns are at the center of this war. The Cumea capture, auction, or buy Arcanics for reprehensible experiments, slavery, or worse. The story opens with Maika Halfwolf, a teenage girl who is discovering her mysterious past, up for auction. A high ranking member of the Cumea takes her, and a few other Arcanics, back to her mistress’s palace. The sorceress doesn’t know it, but the taking of Maika will turn out to be a deadly mistake for her captors. Upon her escape, Maika rescues the tiny, skittish, fox girl, Kippa. They are joined by the ever-present badass of a cat, Master Ren.

I love horror comics, and Monstress has quickly become my favorite comic series for this genre. Liu has created a rich, dark world, and characters are fascinating. Maika, throughout the story, remains stalwart and aloof, despite her class status in this world. This manages to be a strength as much as a weakness. She’s cold and calculating, even when such a demeanor is not warranted, and puts her at odds with her “betters.” Since Kippa is a child, she exudes innocence and cuteness. Maika does her best to be patient with her, which is to say she isn’t. No matter how badly Maika treats her, Kippa doesn’t give up on her. Master Ren is a talking cat, who seems to appear when he is needed the most. He’s protective and mysterious, and knows more than he communicates.

Takeda’s artwork is, in a word, exquisite. There is so much detail in the panels, and every page is in full color. The book took me three times as it normally takes me to get through a comic because I just wanted to drink in the artwork. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

I can’t get enough of this series. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, violence

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on October 26, 2016 by , 1 comment

Book Review: Death’s Sweet Echo by Len Maynard and Mick Sims

Death’s Sweet Echo by Len Maynard and Mick Sims

Tickety Boo Press Ltd., 2015

ASIN: B018YK61XM

Available: Kindle edition

Maynard and Sims present thirteen stories, reminiscent of some of the classics. The tone, atmosphere, and themes of these tales of the supernatural are unique to each story, spanning different time periods. A haunted house in an old New England town holds dark secrets; a widow is being followed by someone who claims to be her dead husband; a confused man runs through the rainy streets of London late for a life altering appointment, only to find he was too late anyway.

A few stories stand out. “Another Bite of the Cherry” opens with the frustrated thoughts of an Egyptian girl trapped and immobile in her sarcophagus. who, along with her parents, had been taken and mummified by someone who usurped the position of Pharaoh. The story fast forwards to post-war England. Lizzie Stirling, an out of work actress, has to settle with a job she was once too proud to take, in a nude revue on the small stage. She’s been offered another bite of the cherry, being able to work on the stage again. She makes a few friends, including the leading man of the club’s shows. This friendship turns into more, much more.

“I’m Here” is set after the Great Depression. Poor William Burton lost all of his investment. He reluctantly accepts an invitation to a Christmas party, with a gift he is less than proud of because he has very little disposable income. There are drinks, a lavish meal, and party games, which William dislikes. Then, there are the looks his former love bestows upon her husband, an opportunist who grabbed her up at William’s most difficult time. William, however, finds this all to be an illusion, in a most upsetting way.

In “Sweet Decay of Youth”, Daniel doesn’t want his small group of college friends to abandon him, and he does what he can to ensure his place amongst them. In “Silver”, Maria talks of the silver people in the lake at the Drysdale Clinic, a mental health facility. Her father doesn’t believe her at first, but after the groundskeeper is attacked and the assault is blamed on Maria, things start to fall into place. In the tale called “Guilt Casts Long Shadows”, Martin is wracked with guilt, and he finds out what happens when he doesn’t make proper amends.

Maynard and Sims are true masters of the short horror story. You would be missing out if you skipped over this collection, especially if you like classic horror. They don’t rely on blood and gore to drive their tales. Don’t get me wrong– I love a good, bloody short story myself– but sometimes I like to pick up something that leaves more to the imagination. There really is something appealing to leaving the brain to do some of the heavy lifting, and this book allows for that. Recommended.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on October 18, 2016 by , Reply
First « 8485868788 » Last