Excellent and inventive sci-fi horror
580488
For a highly underrated genre this collection of inventive and lively stories is well worth the $0.99 price. Although they're different stylistically there's not a bad one in the batch; simply a large array to fit different tastes.
1021060
"The Apocalypse Codex" is the latest in Charlie Stross's totally original, Lovecraftian series mashup of espionage, the occult, horror and geeky tech sci-fi known as the Laundry Series".  The hero, everyman Bob Howard (whose name is undoubtedly an homage to master pulp author and Conan creator, Robert E. Howard) is a computational demonologist who works for the Laundry, a totally secret British government organization tasked with protecting humanity from all sorts of extra dimensional baddies who are constantly planning incursions into our sphere of existence to eat our souls and in general cause the end of the world.  The latter scenario, referred to in the series (as are many situations and agents in all upper case code names) CASE NIGHTMARE GREEN.

Bob is happily married (to another Laundry agent whom he met, saved and recruited in an early entry) and in a sort of middle management (the author spoofs all things bureaucratic) position in the Laundry.  As the novel opens, Bob is recruited  for a special mission involving "external assets", in other worlds, other agents who don't work for the Laundry, to investigate attempts by a mysterious American evangelist to influence 10 Downing Street.  SInce one of the rules of the Laundry is that they cannot interfere directly with the highest level of government in the UK, two specialists are brought in.  These are the beautiful Persephone Hazard and trusty partner-sidekick, Johnny McTavish.  Persephone and Johnny are not only occult specialists like Bob, but Persephone is also a witch who employs "ritual magic", while Bob relies on sound scientific principles based in math, computer science and quantum mechanics (and the occasional pigeon's foot "Hand of Glory") for his tools to fight the minions of Cthulu.

Persephone and McTavish are among the first new characters to be introduced in the series that play a major role in the novel.  Indeed, the story is told from 3 different viewpoints' Bob's Persephone's and Johnny's.  This is fun, as certain scenes are replayed, Rashoman-style, from different perspectives.  Stross is an excellent writer, creating strong characters and mixing horror with dry humor effortlessly.

This entry is as strong and entertaining as the preceding ones (which means tons of fun).  Stross writes with lots of inside jokes concerning the sci-fi physics and math of computational demonology, preceding episodes in the series and puns and references to current pop culture.  I have read a few of the negative reviews from readers for whom these things all went straight over their heads and as a result, they found the novel incomprehensible and humorless.  I should also point out that for Stross, nothing is sacred, so if you are easily offended by his (mostly negative) references to the iPhone as a JesusPhone and/or any depiction of of any christian sect in other than the most revered of terms, this one is probably not for you.  Me, I loved it.  I would recommend reading the earlier books in the series first, but this is not absolutely essential.

Highly Recommended.

J.M. Tepper
1672409
Wow, fantastic science fiction horror story!  First time I've read Tim Curran, and he did not disappoint!  You would think a horror story about a ship lost at sea would be a clich, but "The Dead Sea" was terrifying, surprising and just incredibly well done.  Just imagine an alien sea, eternally fog bound, grotesque sea life hunting you, thousands of rotting, stranded ships each with something deadly and insane living on them, all clogged by dank, blood sucking seaweed and covered by an eternal fog bank.....
I liked the characters in this story, well defined and all deeply affected by their situation.  Tim Curran seems to know a thing or two about fear and how different people react to it.
This was a riveting book that I could not put down.  Based on "The Dead Sea", I'll be looking for more books by Mr. Curran.
3272991
Won't go into a long drawn out ramble to demonstrate how clever I am as a reviewer. Suffice it to say this is some of the most brilliantly original writing in the Sci Fi field in years. The first book is the best, 2nd not as good, third harder to stay with - and yet, really worth finishing. Calder has an amazing capacity to create vivid images for the reader and empathy for the characters, none of whom are likeable per se. If you like the idea of Nihilistic punk-rock sex-doll vampires and lots of mayhem - with a very twisted JG Ballard flavor - written in impeccable prose, check this out.
2946337
*I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review *

When the ship RSA Rockne Hummel goes dramatically off-course, navigator Lieutenant Michael Chalmers is woken early from hyper-sleep to figure out why. Lost at the edge of space, they crash into the planet Furnace. And thats where the horrors truly begin.

Furnace is told completely from Chalmers perspective as he fights for survival on a planet inhabited by demons. Whilst stranded on the planets surface the ships captain orders that Chalmers accompanies other crew members on a reconnaissance mission which goes terribly wrong. Knowing that there is no hope of rescue, Chalmers only chance of survival is to travel through an ancient demon city to reach his ship before it departs.

Furnace is a blend of science fiction, horror and a fast-paced thriller that never falters and keeps the reader gripped from the first page to the last. The main character is well-developed and his internal dialogue brings some dark humour to the situations that he finds himself in. I really enjoyed reading Furnace. The concept is very clever and unique, and the author successfully manages to bring together three genres in one great read.
1126559
A delightfully scary meld of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and mystery, with the best qualities of them all, Netherworld is book one in a trilogy by the indomitable Lisa Morton. I wanted a touch of steampunk in this novel as well, but the elements it did have were enough to almost make me want to sleep with the lights on.

Morton writes in a satisfyingly shadowy way, starting her book in the Western World and then blending in the back story, moving with aplomb between Victorian era England, India, China and Los Angeles. The main cast consists of the Lady Diana Furnaval, widowed at a young age, her guardian watch-cat Mina, the enigmatic scholar Steven, and her sidekick, the doughty Chinese sailor Yi-kin. Each of these characters turns up in the nick of time as her journeys progress.

Each personality quickly takes on a three-dimensional persona. The reader grows with the story and learns much about the Netherworld, Gateways and the Lord's Prayer, chanted backwards. There are 81 gateways, and Lady Furnaval is determined to close them all. At the beginning of the story, she has managed to close six.

Most of the novel surrounds Furnaval's travels and experiences gate-closing. There is not much written about the actual battle scenes with the horrific monsters, which our protagonist seems to overpower with ease and little damage to herself. Her fellow travelers each have their own skills and areas of competence, and although Furnaval misses her husband, who was once her companion in seeking out the unholy portals, she is well before her time in her clothing, her habits, and her perspectives. There are several sidebar-type rants about prejudice and the treatment of the Chinese globe-wide, which seemed distracting and not really much help in furthering the plot.

We discover that her husband is only presumed dead, and the lovely, mysterious "widow" is subliminally hoping that somewhere in her travels, she will find him once again. The clever cat Mina has knowledge beyond her cat body, and she is definitive in her likes and dislikes and her ability to lead the way to gateways. The scholar Steven is equally unusual, and perhaps not even human. And Yi-kin is enigmatic and bound to his Chinese roots, wherever they travel.

It is a great adventure to explore the 1880s with this intrepid band of misfits, and once one can let go of the "normal" Victorian age, it is easy to see the remarkable research and information presented about causes as broad as workers' rights and industrial improvements and the plight of small children forced to labor for long hours for little payment. The dialog and storyline keep up the pace, presenting the scary and the profane along with the mundane and the predictable.

I look forward to the rest of the trilogy, and hope Morton's unique perspective of the world during Victorian times continues to thrill and chill her readers.

by Laura Strathman Hulka
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
3083540
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi and horror. Enjoy and have fun
1321348
I love anthologies and the opportunity to find diamonds in the rough.  Unfortunately with most anthologies for every dozen stories you will at most find one or two that justify the volume.

But this one is different.  To me not a single weak story in the bunch.  As a group they tend to be rather low hard  tech for science fiction with a heavy emphasis on genetic engineering and biological weapons but it still features straight up traditional space opera like Brad Torgersen's "Picket Ship" and William Ledbetter's "Stealing Arturo".

"Codename: Delphi" by Linda Nagata is probably the one closest to us today in terms of technology and how its used.

"Soft Casualty" by Michael Williamson is a truly gut wrenching (literally!) horror story.  And "Brood" by Stephen Gaskell takes us underneath the surface of Vesta for an up close look at war involving artificially created insects.  Likewise "War Dog"  by Michael Berretta keeps the horror going in a nightmarish future confederacy in the American south riven by biological warfare.

But the best for me was "Persephone Descending" by Derek Kunsken where an engineer flees deep into the atmosphere of Venus during an assassination attempt.  The descriptions of life forms and conditions in the thick, unforgiving clouds of Venus are worth reading all by themselves.

Definitely buy this book.  Buy two if you can.  One to keep safe.  One to read again and again because you will definitely be doing so.
4648739
You're in for a Ride is a sci-fi reader's dream book. Plenty of macabre and unusual stories that will keep you up at night or dreaming dark dreams.

This author is talented in this genre, writing about the unexpected and bizarre. I have read other books by this author and have been entertained by his creativeness. I look forward to seeing what he will come up with next.
3763042
while i enjoy science fiction and horror as a genre it's rare to read a book that takes both elements and throws in some very richly imagined plot lines and characters that not only hold my attention but amaze me in the high standard of writing. this book is short, it's a novella more than a novel but every page was packed with surprise and imagination. i loved reading this, i could never guess where the story was going and that kind of unpredictability made for a page turning experience. although i have only read laird's collection apart from this, 'the imago sequence'  i felt this was a move sideways in style and narrative. i loved every moment of reading this book and wish it never ended. i know it's probably not everyones cup of tea but if you want to read something slightly of the beaten track this is a great place to start. i have so much respect for the writer, he's produced something quite unique here and i hope to read much more of his work now.
3217686
After having some trouble getting comfortable with Phillip's writing style in Book 1, I settled down with an extremely engrossing story. Book 2: Immune, is a page turner that I couldn't put down.  This is one of the most finely detailed sci-fi conceptions I have read in quite a while. In fact, I haven't read science oriented Sci-fi this good since Arthur C. Clarke's Rama series.

The main characters begin as sheltered teenagers, conspicuously well socialized by their Los Alamos Lab parents but gain dimension and complexity at a fairly rapid and entertaining pace as the youth change from merely exceptional to otherworldly.

The science is imaginative and delivered masterfully. It starts with plausible, next gen stuff and extrapolates that into nearly magical technology that turns well intentioned scientists mad with power and somehow unhinges them from the ordinary tenants of morality most of us might take for granted - and some already unhinged into pretty frightening monsters. The deft presentation of several of the most repulsive characters imaginable is extremely effective, and all too believable. Fortunately, there are the angels, for lack of a better word, that contest these amoral forces with their own extraordinary talents. In that way, this work echoes Dean Koontz.

I'll probably fidget for the next months waiting for Wormhole.
2550377
I don't know why this doesn't get more love on IMDB as this is definitely one of the best horror movies.

+ Good acting

+ Prequel that in many ways seamlessly integrates with the 1982 Thing.

+ Very good hidden creature suspense

+ Crazy images and creature forms

+ The creature here is less about hiding as it is its first encounter with mankind, but based on how things went it explains why in the 1982 movie it is more about hiding.

+ Not campy horror, but serious sci-fi horror.

+ Not overly predictable

+ You need to watch the credits to know how the two movies connect
4734152
I saw this film the week it opened, and ended up going back to the theatre 6 times to see it before it closed, not to mention the numerous times I've seen it on video, TV, and now DVD. The critics were very unreceptive initially, many calling it a "dreary" and "predictable" "space opera." Even as an adolescent, I thought, "Shoot, what do THEY know?" I was right--"Alien" has stood the test of time, and remains one of the scariest films ever made. Sigourney Weaver is astonishing, using the right blend of toughness and humanity to flesh out her character. The rest of the distinguished cast is equally wonderful: Ian Holm as the twitchy "Ash," Tom Skerrit as broody "Dallas," Veronica Cartwright as whiney "Lambert," and Harry Dean Stanton in his portrait of stunned space grunt "Brett," etc. These are not meant to be fully fleshed-out characters--as evidenced by the use of their last names--but they are nonetheless adequately engaging and believable to evoke our empathy as the horror of their journey unfolds. The set design and cinematography is legendary, as is the vision of Ridley Scott, and the creature is one of the screen's coldest, most ferocious killers. The less you know about this film, the better, but it still stands up as a great viewing experience after repeated viewings, even as you anticipate the next scene. The dialogue is crisp and just funny enough to make the creepy elements all the more jarring. Ridley Scott may equal this film, as he did with "Blade Runner," but I will be surprised if he ever surpasses it. If only all sci-fi films could be this thought-provoking, and all horror films this disturbing!
2836004
William McNally is a new author for me and I read horror-type books only sporadically, yet this one really left an impression.  Beneath the Veil blends horror, paranormal, sci fi and even mystery into a really great story.  Barry Ryan is searching for a blood relative when he winds up in the middle of a zombie nightmare.  It's here that things turn weird, and kind of cool, as his past also comes into play - no spoilers here.  I found the pace of the book to be almost break-neck, which I loved and imagery and action to be very vivid. Great stuff.
1438158
This novel was a monster of a ride; a revolutionary approach to horror. In the black planet, God is a hideous dictator. He hides in the TV behind a black mask and punishes humans; by kidnapping them on his hell shuttles or launching deadly plagues through iron plague machines. Among all this despair, some people choose to become deadheads zombie-likes. The hero, Charles, will leave behind his deadhead mother and sister in order to look for answers.

With a clockwork and gifted imagination, Autumn Christian seasons her story with all kind of gentle monsters. Shocking scenes were: a saint holding a flame-thrower, a crazy sister hanging knifes from the ceiling all around the house; Jolene, the deadly woman who lives in a swamp or a parade in the honor of a woman who slaugthered her eleven children. This novel will remain in my mind for a long time. I hope to make some room for the rest of Christian's work soon.
3734846
Tim Curran continues to climb towards the top of my list of amazing horror writers.  His writing confirms how consistently in command he is of his stories.  While many readers might be upset at "Hive" being a semi-continuation of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Mountains Of Madness", I could care less.  A good story is a good story, and readers do not need to know anything about Lovecraft's story to enjoy this.  But it might make reading it even more enjoyable.  My bottom line for horror or dark fiction is that it needs to scare me, first and foremost.  And Tim Curran delivers.

If I have any gripe with the book, besides the handful of unfortunate typos, it would be the occasional information dump that some characters discover.  I think having the pieces of the mythology trickle a little more organically into the light would have been a bit smoother and more subtle.  There were also a few events that take place off the page, and the reader only learns of it later.  Which is sometimes fine, but I think those moments were important and I would have enjoyed reading those scenes instead of another character briefly summarizing the details to someone else in the story.  Also, towards the end, I felt there were some unnecessary political jabs and Hayes' dialogue, at times, was too wordy.  Short and to the point is more effective.

Curran doesn't pack the narrative with a lot of physical action, but chooses a more fitting, cerebral approach.  The author uses atmosphere and suspense to build the horror instead of outright violence and excessive gore.  I love the way he toys with the characters, isolating them not only literally, but psychologically, causing a wave of growing paranoia that perfectly feeds into the Old Ones mythology and the sanity vs. insanity theme.

The descriptive writing of the climate in Antarctica is enough to give anyone chills, and only added to the hopelessness of the characters and their overwhelming predicament.  So far, Curran is two for two with me and I intend to buy and read a lot more of his work.  This guy is damn good and deserves to grow his audience.  He probably has the best descriptions of anyone in the genre.  "Hive" is definitely one of the better horror titles I've read this year.  And knowing there is a sequel is almost too good to be true.  I, for one, cannot wait to read it.
2831536
True Survival Horror is back. I cannot stress enough how much of a breath of fresh air this game is. After being so disappointed with Resident Evil 6 I was very much looking forward to both Alien Isolation and The Evil Within. Both games have delivered on their promises in my opinion but Alien Isolation stands out as what I feel is the first true "next-gen" survival horror experience.

Survival horror franchises have devolved in the last few years to being more akin to an action movie than their roots as slow-burn high tension horror experiences. Resident Evil in particular has changed from a game about surviving what seem like insurmountable odds to putting you in control of a player who is basically the unstoppable hero of a Hollywood sci-fi action blockbuster. Where Alien Isolation's brilliance shines through is in just how much emphasis the developers put on the "survival" aspect of survival horror. For the majority of the game, when you are seen by the titular Alien it equates to instant death. Even after acquiring the flamethrower later in the game you are only given a few seconds of respite before the Alien returns to hunt you. The gameplay consists of a cat-and-mouse scenario by which you are constantly avoiding confrontation with the Alien and human looters trapped on the Sevastopol space station. The sound design and lighting contribute to a feeling of tension and, well, isolation that are unlike anything I've ever experienced in a game before. The human and android enemies that are still populating the station are hostile but the game gives you plenty of creative ways to use them to your advantage to distract the Alien and progress to the next area. One of my favorite moments in gaming in recent years has been the joint sensation of maniacal joy and terror as I threw a noisemaker into a group of looters and watched from a locker as the Alien ripped open their chest cavities and chased the remaining looter down a hallway only to later hear his cries for help and screams of terror. It's macabre, but ultimately the game is about putting your survival before anyone else's.

Speaking of the lighting and sound design, the A/V aspects of this game are beautiful. I've played it on PS4 and seen the footage of it running on a high-end PC and the current-gen consoles do the game a lot of justice. My one gripe with the performance of the game is that during the cinematic sequences there's a lot of frame rate dipping which causes the video to look staggered and the audio to not quite sync up with the lip movements.however that being said, this may be an issue with just the console version of the game. Other than that, the game pays a loving tribute to one of the greatest sci-fi/horror films of all time. Costumes, lighting, smoke/fog, environments, even the "future" MS-DOS looking computer terminals have all been created by an attentive reference to the source material.

This game is built towards a very specific kind of gamer and if you respect and master the mechanics you will be rewarded with one of the greatest experiences of any console generation. Helpful tip: don't be afraid to use your motion tracker.