{"id":4711,"date":"2016-09-04T19:37:38","date_gmt":"2016-09-04T23:37:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/?p=4711"},"modified":"2016-09-04T19:37:38","modified_gmt":"2016-09-04T23:37:38","slug":"book-review-moonlight-serenades-by-thom-carnell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.monsterlibrarian.com\/TheCirculationDesk\/book-review-moonlight-serenades-by-thom-carnell\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Review: Moonlight Serenades by Thom Carnell"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Moonlight Serenades <\/em><\/a>by Thom Carnell<\/p>\n

Crossroad Press; Macabre Ink, 2016<\/p>\n

ASIN: B01FX26OEA<\/p>\n

Available: Kindle edition<\/p>\n

Moonlight Serenades, <\/em>Thom Carnell\u2019s collection of seventeen short stories, is pretty incredible. I had to take a step back from the book a few times just to be able to savor some of the tales. In \u201cWedding Day\u201d, a man in mourning proceeds with what is to be one of the best days of his life, in a very different way. \u201cAnother One for the Fire\u201d is a retelling of the opening scene of Night of the Living Dead<\/em> through the perceptions of the character of Barbara, and is quite beautiful. \u00a0\u201cI Stand Alone\u201d is written in screenplay format, from the point of view of, seemingly, the last man on Earth, watching the world from his window, and venturing out only to collect supplies. But things are not as they seem in this black and white world. \u201cCanto Carnascialesco\u201d is the story of Billy and Elena, two teenagers on their first date at the carnival. Unfortunately for them, and all of the other carnival goers, things turn into a bloody mess. \u201cRetribution\u201d is an incredible revenge story told in first person. The question I think the author poses here is, how far would you go to avenge, or revenge, the death of your child? Carnell also includes three stories about Cleese, the hero of his previous book, No Flesh Shall Be Spared.<\/em><\/p>\n

Two other stories really sat with me. \u201cWhen I Fall in Love\u2026It Will Be Forever\u201d actually made me cry. Gene and Dottie are trapped in their basement after their home is overrun by zombies. Unfortunately, Dottie did not come away unscathed, and has turned. Gene is doing his best to feed and care for her, while keeping himself safe, but he misses his wife, especially after he flips through one of their photo albums. After contemplating life without her, he makes a life-changing decision.<\/p>\n

I wasn\u2019t too sure about \u201cClown Town\u201d when I started reading, but it turned out to be my favorite in this collection. The story revolves around the \u201cmoidah\u201d of a member of the Harlequin family. Carnell uses 1940s jazz and circus slang in this mystery story, which follows Detective Bumpo and Inspector Garbo as they investigate the scene in Marceau\u2019s club and question the suspects. There\u2019s even a little bit of intrigue, and a love story between Bumpo and Josephine, an employee at Marceau\u2019s. I found it interesting how Carnell writes the various types of clowns, by dividing them into cadres or gangs. The story reads very much like the old time radio shows of the 1940’s, and I couldn\u2019t help hearing the voices of Philip Marlowe or Sergeant Joe Friday in my head as I read this story. I hated to reach the end, not because of the conclusion itself, but because I want to read more about this world. I kind of fell in love with the world of these clowns. The other stories in this collection are just as powerful as the ones mentioned above.<\/p>\n

Recommended, especially for readers who are drawn to stories that make them sit back for a few moments before starting on another. It\u2019s been a week or so since I read this collection, and there are still tales that I think back on, and have revisited.<\/p>\n

Contains: <\/strong>blood, <\/strong>revenge<\/p>\n

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker<\/p>\n

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