MAY 2009 REVIEWS
(NOTE: Unless otherwise noted, all reviews are by Nick Cato. ALSO note that "smell ratings" at the end of some reviews rate the actual SMELL of the book and has nothing to do with the story. Smell Ratings: 5 = excellent, 1 = odorless, 2-4 = you figure it out. Book Key: hc = hardcover / tp = trade paperback / mmp - mass market paperback / rarer forms described).
UNHAPPY ENDINGS by Brian Keene (2009 Delirium Books / 324 pp. / tp)
Keene's 4th short story collection features 19 stories and 3 poems. I was a bit pissed that I had already read so much of the material here (MOST of the stories from Keene's A LITTLE SILVER BOOK OF STREET WISE STORIES appear here), but it does contain some rare (and GOOD) selections you'll want to check out.
JACK'S MAGIC BEANS (a planned novella from another press that never panned out) makes its debut here and I found it to be the highlight of the collection; Keene shines when working in apocalyptic settings, and this one features a couple of neat twists.
The limited edition novella TEQUILA SUNRISE is included here, and being I missed the Bloodletting Press edition it was nice to finally read it. If you've ever wondered why there's a worm at the bottom of some Tequila bottles, you'll dig the author's fabled reason.
The 3 poems are okay, although I identitfied nicely with FOUR YOUNG BLONDES IN A RED MAZDA (funny stuff---especially if you're middled aged).
I'm guessing hardcore Keene fans might feel a little duped with this one (a few stories were originally available only as extras in limited editions of his novels), but I'm happy to have been let in on the fun (especially the couple of tales that take place within THE RISING universe).
If you're not familar with Keene, this is a fine place to get aquainted with his work; his self-introduction is informative (and fun), too.
Smell Rating: 0
BLACK JACK DERRINGER, BOOK I: THE ACE OF SPADES by Karen Koehler (2009 Skullvines Press)
Steampunky post-apocalyptic Old West adventure!
If those words conjure a bizarre but intriguing scenario in your head, a scenario of dry dusty landscapes, twisted monstrous creatures, immense clanking devices and good old-fashioned shoot-em-ups …
Well, you’ll find that Ace of Spades, the first of the Black Jack Derringer series by Karen Koehler, certainly delivers. It’s "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." meets "The Road Warrior" with dashes of Stephen King’s Dark Tower and Talisman thrown in.
‘Wild’ Alice West is a gutsy tough-as-nails female bounty hunter determined to make a name for herself in what’s usually a man’s job in a man’s world. She’s got herself a trusty piece, a trusty mutant horse, and a dream to bring in a big score that will leave her set for life. All she needs to do is convince the weird albino cardplayer to join her scheme.
But the weird albino, Mr. Treen (my mind cast Johnny Depp in his role; maybe it was the quirkiness, maybe it was just because my mind tends to do that), has his own peculiar ideas … and neither of their plans look to stand much of a chance when banditos ride in to take over the town of New Hope.
The characters are fun, the writing is solid, the description and dialogue are most enjoyable. Ms. Koehler has brought to life a vivid and entertaining setting. She’s also proven that she can with great aplomb step out of her typecast roles of vampire writer or dark fantasist.
If there’s a problem with this book, it’s that it ends much too soon. That problem, however, is lessened by the promise of more in the series yet to come. I know I can hardly wait!
-Christine Morgan
PREVIEW
THE SHIMMER by David Morrell (to be released July, 2009 by Vanguard Press, 352 pp. / hc)
After discovering her suitcases missing and a note that turns out to be a lie, Dan Page learns his wife Tori has left for a small town in Texas--a town with an unusual history.
After some quick detective work (easy, being Page is a cop), Page lands his small plane on the outskirts of Rostov and is taken to his wife by the local sherriff. Before long Page discovers Tori hasn't actually left him, but felt "called" to come to Rostov after a recent medical diagnosis as well as memories of a strange childhood experience.
Tori is one of the few people who are able to see the mysterious Lights of Rostov, legendary spectres that have been seen and studied for years by believers, tourists . . . and the U.S. military.
Page sits with Tori at an official observation area one night, hoping to see what has drawn her, when a man goes berserk, claiming the lights are evil, and starts firing his rifle into the crowd of onlookers. Page and Tori become minor celebrities when they manage to stop him (after he claims 20 lives), and soon begin to search for the meaning and origin of the Lights.
What follows is an addictive mystery, full of suspense and some interesting back-story that'll appeal to fans of shows such as Unexplained Mysteries and the X-Files.
While I found the ending to be a bit of a let down (not much is explained and I was expecting more after such a fast-paced ride), I can still recommend this to thriller fans looking for a quick, fun summer read.
Smell Rating: 3
MALPRACTICE (Edited by Nathaniel Lambert / 2009 Stygian Publications / http://www.necrotictissue.com/)
Malpractice: An Anthology of Bedside Terror is not, as I found out, the best book to take with you to peruse in the waiting room before a doctor’s appointment. You get looks. All kinds of looks. From fellow patients, but the real wary looks are the ones from the staff. Oops. Made me glad I wasn’t there for anything too invasive that day.
Billed as the first anthology from the magazine Necrotic Tissue, this batch of medical horror tales takes the usual themed anthology a step further, almost into the neighborhood of shared-universe. All of the stories center around Bloom Memorial, a hospital that is the consolidated worse nightmare of everyone who’s ever been nervous about even the most minor checkup or procedure.
This book is packed full, containing eighteen stories from a variety of talented and/or twisted practitioners. Each takes a turn delving into the histories and mysteries of sinister Bloom Memorial, examining it from several angles, running a battery of tests to diagnose the sicknesses within.
Additionally, there’s a baker’s dozen 100-word pieces (here called Bites; I’ve also seen the like referred to as "drabbles"). What they really do is deliver a quick little jab, like the booster shot that the nurse tells you will only sting for a second, or the ripping away of a piece of adhesive bandage.
Within these pages you will find surgeries gone wrong (or hideously right, depending on your point of view), transplants, skin grafts, injections, infections, diseases of body and mind, and a whole host of nasty complications.
Among my personal favorites: "Symbiosis" by Paul Milliken, Horace James’ "Available," "A Kind of Living" by Paul Harris, Daniel I. Russell’s "Prosthetics" and Jennifer Greylyn’s "Snip."
-Christine Morgan
PREVIEW
THE BONE FACTORY by Nate Kenyon (2009 Leisure Books / to be released 7/09)
With his previous books, up-and-coming horror writer Nate Kenyon has garnered himself comparisons to Stephen King’s early works. That trend continues in his latest, The Bone Factory. It is, situation-wise at least, eerily reminiscent of King’s The Shining. Not a bad thing, but so strong that it had a tendency to distract me.
David and Helen are a financially-struggling couple whose marriage is on the rocks, a situation that’s been worsening since David’s pride and temper cost him his job. Their child, Jessie, possesses uncanny abilities of perception that border on the psychic, and has frequent bad dreams and premonitions. Just when all seems lost, David is offered a job that could mean a fresh start for their family … if also requiring them to live in remote, wintry isolation … someplace with a troubled violent past.
Sound familiar? There are a few other parallels, enough to make a King reader go looking for more and remarking on the ones that don’t occur instead of focusing on the story in its own right. Which is too bad, because it’s a fairly well-written book, if also fairly standard and not particularly blow-your-socks-off.
I found the title to be something of a misnomer … for something called The Bone Factory, there’s not a lot of bones and the factory itself gets barely any screen time. The plot of pollution, disastrous side effects and corporate cover-ups hearkens more to The Prophecy (anybody besides me even remember that one, I wonder?), and it’s left very much in the background here.
What The Bone Factory ultimately feels like is two separate books that got spliced together, so that the full story of each isn’t quite all there. It trundles along at a meandering pace for the first ¾ or so, and then jolts off into sudden breakneck action speed with such abruptness that it made me wonder if I had accidentally skipped ahead a couple of chapters.
So, all in all, this one’s decent but not great. There are some outstanding moments – the baby bottle scene was horrifically effective. I give it a solid B-minus.
-Christine Morgan
Smell Rating: 5
BEDTIME STORIES FOR THE APOCALYPSE by Joel Arnold (2009 Sam's Dot Publishing / 88 pp. / tp)
Arnold's APOCALYPSE is a nifty little 9-story horror collection featuring 3 presented here for the first time. Even the scifi-based tales here are horror at heart, especially Mr. Blue.
Among the better offerings are Branding Day (and while I had it figured out shortly after the first page, it still reminded me of a fun Bentley Little short), and Narcissus in Links, which puts a clever (and creepy) spin on the end-of-the-world thing; Arnold nicely captures a sense claustrophobia here that'll make you twitch.
Hands down, the most impressive piece is Working Class Hero Worship, a head-trip of a "time travel" story dealing with one man's fascination with John Lennon's assassination . . . and how changing that event affects his own life; its truly worth the cover price for this one alone.
APOCALYPSE is worth your time.
(See our ODDS & ENDS section (May 2009 update) for more on Joel Arnold)
Smell Rating: 0
COMING NEXT MONTH:
Robert Dunbar's THE SHORE, Darren Speegle's A RHAPSODY FOR THE ETERNAL, and many more...