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Book Review: The Final Reconciliation by Todd Keisling

 


The Final Reconciliation by Todd Keisling

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2017

ASIN: B01N385I94

Available: Kindle edition, Audible

After thirty long years of silence, Aidan Cross, physically and mentally scarred, is finally granting an interview. He wants to open up about his time with his heavy metal band, The Yellow Kings. Aidan reveals an impossible account of music, the occult, and death with his story about The Yellow Kings’ unreleased album, “The Final Reconciliation”, which led to their live concert resulting in a bloodbath.

After The Yellow Kings sign a record deal and embark on a successful tour, they meet Carmilla Bierce after an intense concert in Texas, and ask her to join them. The lead singer, Johnny, becomes increasingly entranced with this new addition to their tour bus. She convinces them to take her along to Dim Carcosa, her pet name for Los Angeles. Carmilla quickly takes control: her influence over the band comes swift and heavy. Aidan suspects something is wrong, but when he tries to communicate his worry to his friends, they either don’t listen or she is in the way.

The way the new album is being recorded is troubling to Aidan. Carmilla does not permit the band to play more than a small selection of songs at a time, and the recording studio has been set up in a ritualistic way by  Carmilla herself. Then dreams come, of otherworldly robed creatures with their faces hidden behind masks– visions of true Carcosa, all with the same message: “Take off your mask.” Carmilla also orchestrates The Yellow Kings’ final reconciliation, the concert to end all concerts, at least for The Yellow Kings and their fans. Masks for everyone, ritual robes and medallions for The Yellow Kings, and patterns for the band to follow, musically and physically, all add up to a bloody evening.

There is much to like about this novella, especially if you are a fan of horror and metal. The writing keeps a fast pace and engages the reader at every twist and turn. The characters are memorable, particularly Aidan and Camilla. Aidan is clearly struggling with past events, and wants to finally tell his story. When he discovers the reason behind the journalist wanting the interview, Aidan’s reaction is what is to be expected given the way he told his story. I remain conflicted about Carmilla. There is a line in the novella comparing her to Yoko Ono or Courtney Love, which made me wholly suspicious not of her, but of Aidan. Women are often blamed solely for the downfall of something, like a musical group, without blame being leveled at their male counterparts. For this comparison to be assigned to Carmilla immediately made me question Aidan’s motivations. Also, since we are only hearing Aidan’s side of the story, how much of his story is reliable? Several questions remain, but one thing is clear. Nothing is as it seems in the world of Carcosa. Recommended.

Contains: brief sex, brief body horror, some gore, lots of reference to amazing metal bands (I’m looking at you, Mastodon).

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 27, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales: An Anthology edited by Ellen Datlow

Black Feathers: Dark Avian Tales: An Anthology edited by Ellen Datlow

Pegasus Books, 2017

ISBN: 9781861773216

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition

This anthology of avian-themed fiction, edited by Ellen Datlow, presents a fantastic collection of short stories by some of the best authors in the horror genre. Each story features, as the anthology title indicates, birds that act as agents of death, sentinels, communicators, and more. The authors present the darkness the bird realm can represent, and present unique philosophical questions and uncomfortable answers in this collection.

Datlow has collected some of the best writers for this anthology. Authors include Sandra Kasturi, Nicholas Royle, Seanan McGuire, Paul Tremblay, Joyce Carol Oates, Richard Bowes, Alison Littlewood, Jeffrey Ford, Mike O’Driscoll, Usman T. Malik, Stephen Graham Jones, A.C. Wise, M. John Harrison, Pat Cadigan, Livia Llewellyn, and Priya Sharma.

There is not a single story in this anthology that does not linger with the reader. A struggling academic studying owls gets too close to his research subjects, much to his wife’s concern, and ending in a deadly discovery. What happens to him will change his family forever. A young girl obsessively counts the types of birds she sees throughout the day, and interprets the numbers to mean certain things will happen. She’s never wrong. A grieving widow begins to relate to the herons on her property, who help her deal with the death of her husband. The birds seemingly take care of her problems and provide her with a new sense of freedom. Rogue birds are being investigated by an occult group for helping humans cheat death. A twin returns home after her father’s death, reconnects with her sister, and finds out the terrible truth about herself after the funeral. These tales are only a fraction of what this collection offers to the reader.

While there is very little in the way of gore, there are definitely psychological horrors that the reader will encounter. Sometimes these can be more terrifying than any amount of blood and guts.

Datlow has won multiple Hugo, Locus, and Shirley Jackson awards and has received several lifetime achievement awards, including the Bram Stoker Award. She is adept at anthology selection, and I promise you won’t be disappointed with this collection. Highly recommended

Contains: brief sex, abuse, psychological terror

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on April 14, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Lost Gods by Brom

Lost Gods by Brom

Harper Voyager, 2016

ISBN-13: 978-0062095688

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, Audible

 

Brom is a highly skilled author. The tale he weaves in Lost Gods, with its vivid and detailed illustrations, forges story, art, and nightmare into an amalgam of epic proportions.  Lost Gods is not a simple voyage; it is a soulful experience.

Chet Moran is freshly released from jail and on a mission to win back the heart of his girl, Trish.  Two things are standing in the way of his true happiness: Trish’s father, who is a very influential judge in the town of Jasper, and Chet’s own foolish past.  When he and Trish decide to flee, in hopes of staying with Chet’s grandmother, all hell breaks loose, and Chet is killed by an ancient horror.

The story takes the recently deceased Chet on a mission into, of all places, Purgatory.  He isn’t waiting idly for a spiritual decision; he has a serious purpose, with more than his soul at stake.  A war is about to erupt in a land where grisly creatures seek to end a soul’s existence and gods are itching to be remembered.

A big book, near 500 pages, Lost Gods puts the reader through trial after dreadful trial.  Chet begins as a loser, hoping for change, but becomes the embodiment of a hero.  The tale doesn’t rest only on Chet’s story, though; there are gods stewing in Purgatory, all looking for supplicants, days of old, and maybe a sacrifice or two.   In addition, there are factions looking to free Purgatory, as it can be a good place for souls to wander.

Lost Gods is a strong story, laced with love, family, painful deaths, gore and betrayal.  It’s multi-faceted, rich in lore, and in all the negative aspects of faith and religion.  It’s dark, and so fast-paced you never receive an inkling of boredom.  Purgatory is so well-developed, you see it– you experience it!  Any reader and lover of horror will find a great appreciation in Brom’s words, as well as the illustrations that bring it all to life.  Many times I found myself looking back at the pictures, seeing what the characters saw, making the read a legendary undertaking. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Alyssa Renee Hunt

 


Posted on April 13, 2017 by , Reply
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