SEPTEMBER 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).
SKY TONGUES by Gina Ranalli (2009 Eraserhead Press / 136 pp. / tp)
Sky Tongues (the name of a hermaphrodite born with tongues for fingers and toes) is basically a coming-of-age / rags-to-riches story told in an addictive autobiographical style. Ranalli masterfully hints at a future landscape and society (roughly 130 years from now), which is not too different from the present; rascism and prejudice still exist, along with the possibility of happiness and fortune.
Abused by her father, Sky is kicked out of the house and soon taken in by a carnival owner who gives her work. She is welcomed into this new family, but eventually leaves when given the chance to realize her dream of acting. She eventually gets a role on a cable program that becomes a huge hit and becomes a genuine star. She starts her own family with Rabia (a Mue with transparent skin) and before long the sleazebag family who rejected her attempt to ruin her life and once again make it a living hell.
SKY TONGUES is rich in social commentary and features some of the more beautiful things I've read in a bizarro story (in particular some unforgettable scenes where Sky watches and bonds with her son as he grows in Rabia's transparent womb). There's also times when the heartbreak and struggle between some of the characters becomes so real you'll forget you're reading a Bizarro story . . . which makes the story all the more bizarre and once again shows why Ranalli is one of the best writers in this ever-growing field.
MAMA'S BOY AND OTHER DARK TALES by Fran Friel (2008 Apex Publications / 277 pp. / tp)
Fran Friel has been carving her way into the horror genre for the past few years, and while she can get the chills going just fine, I was most impressed by her use of humor. The short back-to-back 'food'-themed entries, GRAVY PURSUITS and MASHED, are both fine examples of humorous horror done right (something this reviewer admires and is constantly on the lookout for).
While I enjoyed Friel's novella, MAMA'S BOY, I believe the highlight here is the nearly-as-lengthy FINE PRINT, which puts a surprisingly fresh spin on the old sell-your-soul story; although it deals with personal characters, there's an epic battle playing out in the background that gives this one a fantastic lift. Kudos also for THE SEA ORPHAN, a killer pirate story that deals with a young man who inherits his mother's witchcraft skills. Being a canine fan, I also loved UNDER THE DRYER, which is told from a dog's point of view (and also happens to be quite creepy).
Although I'm not a big poetry fan, there's some short, sweet, and SICK ones on display here. They'll easily keep your attention, and they act as nice little breaks in-between the tales.
Included in this 14-story/poem collection is a wonderful introduction by Gary A. Braunbeck and some interesting author notes. MAMA'S BOY shows off this rising author's goods and left me quite satisifed...hopefully we'll see a novel soon.
THE LIFELESS by Lorne Dixon (2009 Coscom Entertainment / 200 pp. / tp)
When a group of terrorists inject themselves with a mysterious amber liquid, their bodies explode at different points around Manhattan (and several other U.S. cities), causing mini-mushroom clouds to rise and cause acidic rain that melts and distorts the flesh of anyone unfortunate enough to be near them. But after a few moments, the partially-digested corpses come back to life, hungry for flesh and blood.
Most of the novel takes place inside a New Jersey high school, where a small group of survivng students (along with the Assistant Principal) barricade themselves in the library and try plan a way of escape. There's class struggle, teen angst, and the Assistant Principal (a former cop) dealing with his past failures. There's also plenty of gooey-zombie goodness, lots of action and a realistic sense of doom throughout the entire novel.
While THE LIFELESS follows a standard apocalyptic-zombie theme, Dixon's terrorist-origin for the undead (that's never fully explained, making the novel all the more eerie) gives this one somewhat of a different feel. Fans of zombie fiction will surely eat this one up; Dixon's prose is quick and the story features several scenes guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat.
THE LUCID DREAMING by Lisa Morton (to be released 9/09 by Bad Moon Books / 88 pp. / tp)
Ashley (a.k.a. "Spike") is a paranoid schizophrenic at the California State Facility at Oxnard. After three months at the center, she begins to think she and her roomate have been abandoned, when, 3 days later, Nurse Conroy finally shows up and tells her to leave . . . then proceeds to slash her own arm with a scalpel. Not waiting to see what else she'll do, Ashley takes off. She notices everyone around the facility has seemingly gone beyond insane. She stocks up on Prolixin (the drug that binds her schizophrenic tendencies) and heads to her friend Tommy's house to try and find out what's going on.
Through old newspapers and sketchy Emergency Broadcast Announcements, she discovers a phenomenon known as 'The Dream Sickness' has spread across the globe, which has been causing people to stay in a dream-like state, everyone infected acting unpredictably, according to their dreams. Everyone, that is, except for those who happen to be taking Prolixin.
While I've read at least one story that used drugs in a similar manner before, this one stands on its own.
Morton's novella is a fresh take on the apocalyptic thing, complete with interesting social commentary, a cult of brainwashed rednecks, and much food for thought. And with a satisfyingly eerie conclusion, you can't go wrong with this LUCID DREAM.
A BLOOD OF KILLERS by Gerard Houarner (2009 Necro Publications / 460 pp / tp and lehc / www.necropublications.com
This mammoth collection contains 26 stories which will be of major interest to fans of Houarner's on-going "Max" saga; Max (a hitman for hire who happens to be possessed by a vicious demon he refers to as The Beast) appears in 14 stories, 13 presented here for the first time.
Among my favorites were the title tale (about a "family" of killers breaking in the new guy), ASSASSIN OF LOVE, where the author digs extremely deep into Max and The Beast's mind(s) within a noir-ish sex romp situation; SAY NO, a horrifying look at killing as an addiction; and THE HAUNTED KILLING FLOOR, where Max awaits a hit while dwelling on past happenings at his current location.
While a couple of stories lost me for a bit, I took the time to re-read some passages until I caught up. In most cases I was glad I did.
A BLOOD OF KILLERS took me just over a month to get through, and not because I didn't enjoy it; in fact, I LOVED it. Houarner's prose isn't as "in your face" as you'd expect a book with a title like this to be; Despite the (often) gruesome killings, it's the psychological aspect of Houarner's story telling--coupled with his latent and inventive manner of explaining the violence--that makes these stories all the more effective.
While not for those seeking a quick fix, A BLOOD OF KILLERS is well worth the time it takes to sit back and savor these wickedly smart (and terrifying) offerings from a master wordsmith. A top-notch collection all around.
PREVIEW:
DOC GOOD'S TRAVELING SHOW by Gene O'Neill (2009 Bad Moon Books / 83pp. / tp)
O'Neill's brief, post-apocalyptic drama deals with two adopted boys who are finally on their own along America's west coast, where several cities are protected by giant shields and are only home to the privleged. They find work in a traveling circus, and amaze everyone (from the fans to their boss and peers) with amazing feats of levitation and knife-throwing. When one of the brother's girlfriends is assaulted after a show, Littlejoe uses his supernatural power to overcome the attacker, which leads to a suicide and one brother on the run.
While the story is a quick read and has some good atmosphere, there's no real kicker here; I was expecting much more from Littlejoe's supernatural abilities, and the ending was on par with a Lifetime movie of the week. For end-of-the-world completists only.
COMING NEXT MONTH:
We're still working our way through 2 books originally scheduled for this month: MIDNIGHT WALK edited by Lisa Morton and the extra-large EXPERIMENTS AT 3 BILLION A.M. by Alexander Zelanyi. We'll also look at Bentley Little's latest, HIS FATHER'S SON, Jeremy Shipp's CURSED, and DUBAKU by Edward M. Erdelac. Plus more!