Literary horror with diverse complex characters and wry humor.
346134
A metaphorical and darkly hilarious novella about an environmentally poisoned wood where a ravenous monster awakens.

About:  A young ward of the state decides to leave the safety of her group home to return home to her dying grandmother. Her friend reminds her of the darkness that lurks outside of the doors; a monster is waking up slowly to a deep hunger in the dead woods. There is no food to satisfy its need, not even a starving rat. Where will it feed?

A lonely gay man living on the edge of the woods opens his door for the runaway girl in time to save her from what lurks in the cold darkness. This is their story.

Thoughts:  A story with a moral, its more funny than scary  though thats not to say that I did not get the chills or that my heart remained at its regular pace for the entire novel. It is a chilling tale. But laughing while one has goose pimples is a curious sensation; Wood definitely did this for me.

Even better, its only a 60 page novella with some colorful characters. Socially marginal individuals  these people are loners, orphans, and from the hidden classes of society. They are those that remain in the peripheral of our vision, barely noticed, but have their valid tales to tell. Whats important to their story is that these characters are not victims, creating a different example for those faced with real life horrors.

Intelligent with some snarky dialog, this is not a typical horror story. Its an emotional roller coaster trip through metaphorical darkness and hilarity. A 4-star in my opinion. I recommended it for anyone who likes unusual characters, complex dry humor, and  surprisingly nice endings.
698006
Not content with having established herself as a solid horror writer, Foinah Jameson has decided to bite us with her dark sense of humor. In Mostly Dead Melvin, she pens a macabre tale of transformation gone wrong as seen through the eyes of a hapless mall security guard. Melvins humdrum life takes a turn when he encounters a femme fatale who is also a creature of the night. She brings him to a near-death (or is it near-life?) experience and then abandons him faster than an extreme speed date. Melvin is left to plod through a decidedly weird Portland, Oregon populated by lurid and nightmarish things which go bump in the night trying to discover what he has become. The results are hilarious, delightful and at times, almost against Jamesons will, poignant. Mostly-Dead Melvin does not disappoint.
2983700
I don't read much in this genre, but I enjoyed this book THOROUGHLY! The writing in every single story is superb. Each tale takes place in a fascinating MODERN-day setting. The authors present unique MONSTERS in situations ranging from creepy-scary to sweetly poignant. This anthology contains witty bits and satire, plus sexy bits and philosophical musings. It will scare you, make you laugh, and worst of all (perhaps) make you think. Highly recommended!
482194
Full Disclosure: I am the editor of this book, and I bought the Kindle version. I had great fun reading and editing these wonderful tales of THE CAT'S ASS BOUTIQUE, a very strange, alluring and unsettling establishment. Shebat Legion's quirkiness shines through in every story, stories unique in the way they are plotted and told. Each story blends into the next story, with recurring characters such as Petra, Duke, his sister Lilly . . . vampires all, and all under the thumb of the Master Vampire known as Mister Abraham. There's even a few visits by the Three Fate Sisters, as well as a Leprechaun. Most of the stories take place on some of the major holidays, like Christmas, Easter and New Year's. But there are also "stories within stories," featuring other characters who often cross paths with these sometimes likable, sometimes frightening vampires. There's one funny, complex little gem called "The Day That Many Things Happened," which deals with a cast of humans who live in and around the town of Temagazombie, and the unusual and crazy set of circumstances that perfectly illustrates the meaning of "for every action there is a reaction." If you're familiar with a "Rube Goldberg invention" or just know how one domino can fall and affect all others, you'll get some idea of what I mean. There's even a visit to a most unusual store, "The Melody Shop," by a married man who doesn't know what to expect, what happens when his wife walks in, and how it may or may not affect their marriage . . . and how, once again, the Fates may or may not have played a role. The stories range from the humorous to the poignant, and there is a nice discussion in one tale regarding the nature of Death. These vampires may or may not be dead: they are not your traditional vampires, and this is at the heart of the Chronicles. Are they dead? If not . . . what sort of vampires are they? -- for they do drink blood and are capable of great mayhem and, in one story, great healing. They are merciful and merciless. Each vampire is totally unique in his or her own fashion, from the solid, protective Petra, to the very troubled and moody Lilly, to her quite confused and not-so-bright brother Duke . . . to the powerful and mysterious Elder Vampire they call Mister Abraham. VAMPIRE THERAPY, indeed! For these vampires are, indeed, in need of therapy. I guarantee, you'll enjoy these stories: they are fun and interesting and very different. Legion has truly created a universe totally her own. The book is designed to resemble a children's fairy tale book, with wonderful, evocative illustrations by the artist calling himself simply "Phil." In many ways, this IS a fairy tale book -- for adults. For besides the blood-drinking and mayhem, there is quite a bit of erotica and a few scenes of graphic sex. You're going to really enjoy this one.

-- Joe Bonadonna, author of MAD SHADOWS: THE WEIRD TALES OF DORGO THE DOWSER, THREE AGAINST THE STARS, and WATERS OF DARKNESS (in collaboration with David C. Smith.)
3534749
Colorful characters and surprising plot twists immersed in richly descriptive settings held my interest from the first to the last word ... an unusual combination of a modern horror story entwined within a seemingly gentile family's Virginian manor.
460678
Michael Koryta's novel `The Ridge' is a beguiling mixture of literary types; it combines the macabre elements of a modern-day gothic horror tale with the archetypes of the hard boiled police thriller, managing, for the most part, to appease the requirements of both. A well-researched narrative that contains sufficient shocks and twists that ensures the reader is fairly well engaged throughout.

It's commendable that Koryta is evidently not at all timid when it comes to setting up his overall premise; the area of Blade Ridge -the novel's primary location- "as isolated a pocket of the world as you'll find east of the Mississippi" is home to a wooden lighthouse built in the middle of the woods by a once "gifted carpenter" and a nearby newly-installed enclosure for exotic felines implemented by a widower who recently lost her husband in an accident to the nearby Marshall River. It's an odd and original setting that confounds the reader's expectations regarding the typical `ghost story' milieu-no graveyards nor century-old mansions inhabit this particular landscape.

The author's chief protagonist in `The Ridge' is the recognizable character motif of police deputy Kevin Kimble, a middle-aged, career-driven companionless figure, seemingly content with being "one of those boys who inexplicably becomes identified by his last name". `Kimble',  from the outset is evidently a tormented individual as the opening chapter quickly establishes with a twin-pronged dilemma for his principal character. On his pre-dawn journey to a Women's Prison Kimble receives a disturbing call on his cell phone from the elderly, locally-shunned social pariah, Wyatt French; French talks of suicide and questions Kimble as to how rigorous his likely investigation of such an event would be.  His subsequent meeting with an inmate at the prison, Jaqueline Mathis, proves to be equally unsettling and the reader begins to realize that there is a rich and ominous back-story to the tale that the author is embarking upon.

Koryta has fashioned an involving and bracing narrative here, complete with interestingly drawn characters, sharp description and an ending to his novel that is well-rounded and pleasantly rewarding. At its heart, `The Ridge' is an effectively realized modern-day ghost story. Koryta is adept at utilising a by-now standard set of ideas and craftily exploiting those to define his own version of the preternatural. Where the author arguably becomes unstuck are those instances in the text that while they are structurally sound are unfortunately hollow and artificial in terms of plausibility where characters motivations are concerned. There is a moment  that occurs at roughly the mid-point of the novel that this reviewer would contend seriously undermines the intention of the author and the credibility of the plot; however, if you are willing to forgive this curiously incongruent lapse the book proves to be a  tense, bloody and overall engaging affair.

Written by James Keen from Horror Novel Reviews. Horror Novel Reviews does not receive payment for reviews. All books are promotional copies.
254401
A book for the curious, the connoisseur of horror.  M.F. Korn's title character, a flesh-eating ghoul, is an allegory for the rot that eats at the soul of society.  The short stories that round out the collection peel off the pretty veneer of bourgeois life.  The author's prose sets its own tempo, enhancing the terrifying timbre of the tales.  Not a book for the faint-hearted.
934489
An eclectic mix of supernatural, suspense and horror, this collection of short stories written by the author throughout her career shines a spotlight on a diverse mix of characters. The theme of the collection, however, repeatedly comes back to the question of how people respond to the fantastic. In true storyteller form, Baily always ties the answer back to the individual.

From a mysterious mirror of questionable origin, to a painting that swallows the souls of those who fixate on it, to houses of ghosts and the night-time drive of a family in the mountains, youll be left unsettled, provoked and rewarded with glimpses into the mysteries that live in the corners of our world.

Whether through the eyes of a woman hiking alone or a young man exploring a haunted house with his friends, you will feel their palatable fear, uncertainty and unease as you explore the worlds that Bailey has created. At the other end of the spectrum, the tales of a short order waitress investigating (and possibly stalking) a creep that she comes across at her job and the pieces of an immortal womans diary as she lives far, far too long will leave you dreading what comes next. The author excels in bringing you to where she wants you, and by the end of each story youll be left pondering the larger mystery and the future of the storys world.

This is the perfect bedside companion for readers who enjoy a good scare, but also like having something to think about in the morning light. Bailey doesnt rely on established tropes and is a master at keeping you in the moment with her characters, whether they are racing through the desert away from the horrors they have resurrected or facing their own internal demons found in a life after death.

Ordinary Souls is a chilling set of stories meant to frighten you a bit, but its also a compelling sampling of insights into the human condition and a fully satisfying read from beginning to end.
4428518
Surreal scenes, interesting personalities, great stories. Macabre and funny.
1231025
This is one of the best single-author collections of short fiction I've read in a long time. Each story is stunning in terms of character development, escalating weirdness and writing so vivid and evocative and succinct that I often stopped to reread a phrase or section just to admire it. There is also laugh-out-loud wit right alongside biological horrors that made me cringe knowing they are based in nature. This collection is full of suspense and immersion, like a great crime or horror novel, but with parasites and human hosts who could be you or me. Fascinating, horrifying, totally convincing.
1259546
To my intense surprise and delight, Cthulhu 2000 proved to be a pretty good collection of highly diverse tales, a fair number of them good-humored send-ups that I was almost embarrassed to admit I found myself laughing with - my favorite being "Love's Eldritch Ichor," a very funny piece about a descendant of the Old Ones and a book editor falling in love in a Lovecraftian mansion a la The Addams Family, which, believe it or not, is a lot better than it sounds.
But I was even more surprised at the collection of legitimate horror stories, some as genuinely creepy as anything Lovecraft ever penned himself. Not all the stories are strictly Lovecraftian by connection, but most are essentially true to his overriding theme of cosmic terror. Don't expect straight Lovecraft, and you might find yourself really loving this book. I did.
2236057
Dreamscapes Into Darkness is the latest entry in the Enter At Your Own Risk series from Firbolg Publishing. What makes these anthologies of Gothic horror fiction highly unusual, if not unique, is that they match up classic horror tales by well known authors from the past with modern horror stories written by less well known contemporary authors. I found that aspect appealing for a couple of reasons. First, I think it helps educate readers about classic literature, introducing them to often obscure stories from famous authors that they may not have read before, as well as introducing them to current authors who are new to them. Secondly, by presenting stories written in the distant past along side stories being written today, the reader discovers similarities as well as differences between the horror fiction of the past and today's horror fiction. The classic tales date from the 1800s into the early 1930s. Created in a vastly different age, their plots often involve overtly supernatural events, while the story telling technique is usually complex and sophisticated and the language rich and evocative. In contrast, many of the modern tales have character-driven plots that rely more on internal, psychological terrors than on external supernatural horrors, and they tend to be written in a more quiet, stripped down conversational style. All of the stories  new and old  are well written, thought-provoking and entertaining. And all of the stories are more or less on the Gothic end of the literary spectrum in that they employ atmospheric settings and gloomy states of mind for artistic impact instead of achieving cheap shock effects from mere blood and gore. Editor Alex Scully does a skillful job of thematically matching up the classic tales with the contemporary ones. Each story in the volume in some way relates to an overriding cautionary theme of be careful what you wish for, it just might come true. Other anthologies in the series have their own overriding themes.  My favorite matched up pairs of old and new tales in this collection (and this is purely a matter of personal taste) are Frank R. Stockton's His Wife's Deceased Sister (1895), paired with the Story of Alfred Maus by David G. Robinson, J. D. Beresford's The Looking Glass (1922), paired with Lead Us Not Into Temptation by Joe Powers, D. H. Lawrence's The Rockinghorse Winner (1928), paired with One More by Gregory L. Norris, and  my favorite in the collection, Mary Shelley's The Mortal Immortal (1833), paired with Shelley Unbound by Bo Balder. Ms. Balder's tale has the limitless depth and expansive range you find in the best classic Gothic tales. Add to this a literary style that manages to be edgy and avant-garde while at the same time being luxuriously poetic in an almost traditional way, and it's a remarkable piece of writing and a very clever story offering a fresh take on an old idea. Recommended.
4844085
I got this book on a whim, since I'd read several glowing reviews of it, including one by Neil Gaiman that got me really curious, and I'm glad I listened to that whim.

The Dickensianly-named Judas Coyne, an aging death metal rock star, gets more than he bargained for when he buys a suit that once belonged to a recently deceased hypnotist and spiritualist, to add to his collection of macabre curios. The unwelcome and unwholesome attachment to it sends him and his Goth girlfriend Georgia on a road trip through the Deep South, on which he is forced to confront many ghosts from his path before they can shake off the intruder. Joe Hill delicately balances the gruesome moments with psychological depth and flashes of black humor. It's the kind of book you'll want to bring along to read during a long summer trip, but make sure it's a plenty-long one: You'll find it hard to set it aside before you reach your destination...
3523795
In their novel Supernaturalz: Weird, Creepy and Random, Ben Parris and William Freedman create an absurdist interpretation of the horror genre, blending the mystical with the tangible and pushing the boundaries of the imagination.

Set against the backdrop of a supernaturally haunted house, this novel is prepared to satisfy its readers from the onset. With a blend of colorful characters  not the least of which are a gang of unruly, defiant girls named the Garter Snake Gang and a vengeful, time-defying warrior goddess named Kali  Supernaturalz promises surprises at every turn. A gritty dialogue and building tension create the perfect atmosphere to unravel the deepest, basest violent urges within these protagonists. Filled with the grotesque, the unsightly, and the horrid, this book asks: Who will survive Kalis quest for domination? Can these girls trust not only each other, but also themselves?

A thriller, leaving you constantly at the edge of your seat, this novel is sure to please lovers of horror, mystery, and suspense. Based on personal experience, I will echo the advice given by Kevin Sean Michaels in the Forward: whatever you do, read this novel with the lights on.
3406189
What is The New Black? Its not only the name of the book, but also a genre in itself. New Black, or neo-noir, is ostensibly what noir literature has evolved into over many years and many stories. I say ostensibly because after Laird Barrons foreword and Richard Thomas introduction, the definition, if there can be one, remains nebulous. As Barron points out, neo-noir simply means dark fiction, and even within that niche, theres a hell of a lot of territory to cover. Youll find horror between these pages, but youll also find elements of many other genres, some of which may come as a surprise. Classification issues aside, The New Black is simply an extraordinary collection of fiction.

An aging boxer strives to assuage one type of pain with another in Craig Davidsons Rust and Bone, a hard-hitting story of crippling guilt and atonement in the ring.

Micaela Morissettes The Familiars straddles the line between magical realism and supernatural horror. An imaginary friend comes of age along with its companion, bringing to light the darkness lurking on the edges of childhood fancy.

Roy Keseys absurd yet emotive Instituto asks what perfection is, explores the possibility of attaining it at a price, and explores the relation between physical scars and the memories attached to them.

The unreliable narrator of Benjamin Percys Dial Tone struggles to make sense of his seemingly dull life, in a sort of reverse murder mystery that delves into the aimlessness and alienation of the digital age. An unorthodox haunting overshadows the proceedings.

With Its Against the Law to Feed the Ducks, Paul Tremblay brings an understated take on post-apocalyptic literature. This story, viewed through the eyes of a child, is all the more emotionally potent for the illusion of normalcy the family strives to maintain.

These are by no means highlights. Richard Thomas has drawn together an astonishing array of talent, and this is the rare collection in which every story is a highlight in its own way. Its stories adeptly bridge the divide between genre and literary, becoming a hybrid that any reader of fiction will appreciate. This is a book for fans of writers as diverse as Stephen King, Jos Saramago, Alice Munro, Gary Braunbeck, and Flannery OConnor. In many of the stories, characters internal lives are comprehensively revealed within the framework of heavily plot-driven narratives. Dark shadows loom and the occasional viscera glistens, while between the lines a far different tale unfolds.

Kafka said that A book must be the axe for the frozen sea within us. If thats the case, this book is more like a bonfire that begins with a spark and ends up burning its way into all corners of our minds. Wherever your taste in fiction lies, The New Black is a stunning and essential collection.
2040612
This book, which was a Christmas present to me, is a collection of supernatural horror stories.
The stories are set in New Orleans, both post- and very much pre-Katrina, and draw considerably on the history and legends of the Big Easy.
The deep legend within them -- the overriding myth that's their engine -- is the presence, just beyond the surface of everyday life,
of a race of super-human and demonic "skin eaters" who are trying to project themselves into the human world.
They find humans who "turn", or who are susceptible to being "turned", and become Saturni.
The concrete aims of the Saturni, as a group or species, are not exactly clear from the seven stories that comprise volume one of "Tales of the Saturni",
although the existence of the Daedalus School and the history of the Danvers siblings point to some very alarming goals, and results!

I had read at least four of these stories before, but not the last, entitled "Livaudais", which may be my personal favorite now.
I think the tales are by turns "black humor", mythological big-picture innuendo and implication,
regional Gothic and also modern Gothic, God "lurking on the threshold" of things (the quotation from C.S. Lewis at the beginning of the book hit me
between the eyes), "family dynamics" (and dysfunction), some contemporary comment and commentary,
and "heart of darkness" matter, as in the Gilles de Rais story, which is the fifth in the series.

I also thought of the North Carolina writer Manly Wade Wellman in his tales of an earlier race inhabiting the world -- tho' A.P. Bowman's is a more Gothic (and more contemporary) vision than Wellman's;
a little, of Lovecraft (tho' I can't seem to find humor in HPL); and of perhaps the sexual aspect (implicit in his stories) of Arthur Machen.
There is also an element of the physically grotesque in "Tales of the Saturni", which "comes with the territory" -- more than a "soupcon" of Mario Bava.

In addition to his darkly lurid imagination, A.P. Bowman is also a very good writer!
There is a refinement to the style, without an iota of artificiality, that is precise and exact.
The author's syntax and vocabulary are refreshing to me, almost to the point of extreme pleasure.
I feel I am in the hands of an elegant and also very natural stylist.
which to me is "what the world needs now", in addition, that is,
to love.
1641254
This is a thoroughly well-written tale with a distinctive style. The author manages to blend comedy, horror, and noir in a pulpy mish-mash that's plenty of fun to read. The story is long on description and action in the way a hard-boiled detective yarn of days past is, though they have a distinct horror-comedy style. The everyman hero, the exaggerated supporting cast, the stock B-movie villain, and the comic setting (a convenience store in a run-down neighborhood in the fictional California town of Las Calamas) gently play with genre conventions. The characters are genre-savvy and generally aware that they are stuck in what amounts to a bad (but funny) horror movie. If you are looking for a good, afternoon read that's long on fun but not as deep as Stephen King, then you need look no further! I recommend it for fans of movies such as Slither, Drag me to Hell, and the Evil Dead series of films.