Matt
Horrorstor, it's the haunted retail store book you didn't know you needed. Grady Hendrix has authored a creative and genuinely creepy book about a group of employees at an IKEA-like store who experience a rapidly escalating night of terrors inside their store. Blending humor and horror in a book designed to look like a furniture catalogue, Horrorstor is probably my favorite book by Hendrix. I highly recommend it. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I listened to this book because it was a selection for a gothic book club I belong to. Overall I was very underwhelmed. Austen's work is at times delightfully satirical, but some of the humor and nuances of the book may be lost on those not familiar with gothic classics such as the works of Radcliffe. Those who are familiar with such works may find themselves wishing they were listening to one of works instead of this one. It took FOREVER for Catherine, the book's “heroine” to actually go to the title location, and much of the book was simply a story about love and English society. Austen fans may enjoy this work, though some of her better known works are probably superior to this, her debut novel. Fans of gothic literature are advised to pass on this one in favor of one of the “horrid novels” this book references. Anne Massey's narration was solid and was included in the Audible Plus Catalogue.
Beneath a Pale Sky by Philip Fracassi is a creepy and weird collection of short stories. The tales range from the bizarre to the more bizarre, encompassing sci-if, demons, special powers, and a whole lot more. This collection of dark fiction has a lot going on. My favorites in the collection were Soda Jerk (small town horror with some Stepford Wives vibes) , Ateuchus (sci-fi first contact horror), and Death My Old Friend (a humorous and darkly optimistic story about growing up as Death's best friend). I also enjoyed The Wheel (from which the volume's title is taken), but this story exemplified one of my chief complaints about the book. Fracassi's prose is well constructed and loaded with expression, but it's also just loaded with details and words. Almost all of the stories felt too long, and at times seemed to include details that didn't really drive the plot forward or connect with the climax or conclusion of the story. Sometimes I struggled to maintain interest as I listened to the audio version, which was a pity because there is so much to be interested in contained within these tales. At times Fracassi is reminiscent of Lovecraft in this volume, and as with Lovecraft sometimes I wished he'd just get to the madness-inducing action instead of getting bogged down in backstory and human elements. Also in The Wheel (and many others) the stories contained a certain element of ambiguity. I can appreciate some mystery, but I also enjoy clarity. More than once I finished a story and wasn't really sure what the ending meant or felt the most important component of the story was left unexplained. Perhaps this is Fracassi's literary point? I don't know, I just know that sometimes I was confused. Despite this, this is a good collection and I plan to read more Fracassi (and maybe reread this one) in the future. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oh, and P.S. the audiobook version is missing the introduction by Josh Malerman. In the unlikely event Fracassi or Malerman reads this review, it would be awesome if you released an updated version that featured Malerman (or I suppose Ariel Brandt, the book's narrator) reading the introduction at the beginning.
A great book that will likely appeal to fans of Rob Ware and Cory Doctorow. Chilling and funny, an examination of how human innovation may imperil humanity. The story of a world dominated by monopolies, algorithms, and consumption. Add in social credit and AI, and you've got the real world...erm, Qualityland. Following a machine scrapper, a presidential candidate, and others, Qualityland tells a tale of conflict between individuals and systems, as one man seeks to overcome the identity imposed upon him by corporate systems. A satirical look at the influences big tech and e-commerce have on the world today. At times Qualityland prioritizes its ideas over the plot, but it is nevertheless potent and amusing.
The One by John Marrs is an interesting look at love in the digital age and the power of suggestion. In another sense, it's also about what lengths people will go to in the name of the ends justifying the means, and also profits. The book is told through the story lines of several different characters, most of which never really intersect expect in that they all take place in the same world and revolve around the MatchYourDNA service. Some of the plots were pretty interesting, but overall the book didn't have quite enough special sauce for me. I'm not sure this one is really greater than the sum of its parts. Although the story line and premise is interesting, I feel like being told who to love has been a recurring theme in dystopian fiction. So while the premise is tried and true to the point of questioning why we need another such story, the interesting part about The One is that it's ultimately imposed simply by consumerism and social pressure, there is no totalitarian entity dictating what anyone has to do. The book paints an all too plausible picture of the influence major corporations have on people's lives, and asks the question of what the nature of love is? It also questions the faith many have placed in big business, and forces the reader to consider how technology and systems designed to prefect the human experience, may ultimately hinder it. It was a good read, but not a capital G great one. 3.5/5
Another excellent book in The Debt Collection series. Some major plot twists and interesting new characters in this one.
The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson is a YA Sci-Fi Horror novel. A few kids start acting weird and dying, and then things escalate. Sitting at an intersection between technology and invasion, The Loop is about so many things: young love, feeling like an outsider (and being made to feel that way), tech, and more. Although I was super into a lot of the ideas in the book, this read a bit more YA than most of the books I read. Something about the plot and the pacing just didn't develop in a way I found totally satisfying. Despite this, overall it was a fun read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The City Upon a Hill is another excellent volume in The Department of Truth series. Collecting issues 8-13 (6-7 are apparently included in the third volume) this second trade edition continues the bizarrely intriguing story of Cole, Ruby, Lee, and Hawk with more beautifully disturbing artwork. This volume also explores the backstory of a smaller character in the form of letters. I'm not usually a big fan of pages of text in comic books, but I found this story to be compelling. Overall I really enjoyed this book! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Put Pen to Perpetrator by Jasmine Webb is another fun Poppy Perkins mystery. Poppy helps solve another case with some exciting subplots. The clues pointing to the perpetrator were so subtle I don't think I could have ever guessed whodunnit in a million years.
The Department of Truth: The End of the World is the first trade volume of this series, collecting issues 1-5. I don't want to get into spoilers, but I enjoyed seeing a world building element I was familiar with in fantasy be applied to conspiracy theories. I also loved the art. It's really stunning! I almost want to buy a print edition in addition to my Kindle/ComiXology edition because it's so beautiful. I found the plot and concept compelling and can't wait to read volume 2. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Black Friday by Todd Keisling is a fun zombie story in a retail setting. Imagine Grady Hendrix's Horrorstor meets The Walking Dead. This novelette has humor, action, and a cast of interesting characters who proceed through a well-paced plot. While the tropes and philosophical bent of story didn't seem groundbreaking, this was nevertheless a fun quick book to read at the beginning of the Christmas shopping season. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Saga: Compendium One collects the first 54 issues of Saga, a science fiction and fantasy adventure romance series examining the follies of war and power of love. Featuring amazing art, compelling characters, a truly imaginative universe, and an outstanding plot. This is a series not to be missed.
The Institute by Stephen King is a great sci-fi horror novel. Children with unusual abilities are brought to a mysterious institute with an unknown agenda. Parts of the book seemed similar in tone and mood to Doctor Sleep, yet the book is distinct and brings many intense and horrifying moments. The mysteries of the institute and these new additions to King's universe are compelling. I didn't love the ending, but overall it's still a great read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A novella set in the world of Mort(e), revealing events not previously seen during the time of the first book, focusing on the title character. An enjoyable take that helps flesh out the bobcat.
An excellent follow up to Soul Fraud. In this second installment in the Debt Collection urban fantasy series Matt Carver continues to search for a way to reclaim his stolen soul, and this time his adventures take him to the world of the fae. Featuring exciting new characters and plot twists, this book was a delight.
Ready Player Two is a great sequel to Cline's blockbuster novel Ready Player One. Like the first book, this one is filled with references to the 80s and pop culture, and it is glorious. Some readers might criticize this book for being too similar to the original. Well...there are a number of similarities. Yet, it's also interesting to watch some of these characters trying to navigate the new reality they find themselves in. Could Cline have done more of this instead of sticking to his original recipe for success? Sure, but hey- if it's not broke don't fix it. I loved the first book and therefore I also loved this one. I listened to the audio version and Wil Wheaton's narration is superb. I'd highly recommend RP2!
Bloodlines by Alex Wolfgang, Antony Frost, Chris O'Halloran, and Carson Winter is an outstanding short anthology of family horror. Four authors each contribute a horror novelette exploring a different aspect of family. Each story is strong, thematically relevant, and distinct from the other three. Almost like different faces on a cut and polished gem stone, each story feels like a special window giving a different vantage point into the same topic. The unity and arc of this anthology is absolutely incredible. Though I had a couple of small quibbles with two of the stories (one contained some details which I thought were primarily used as shock value, and another was a bit confusing) overall all four stories are all well written and emotionally impactful. The forward by Solomon Forse is also a fantastic introduction to the volume. Each of the following stories was chilling, disturbing, and thought-provoking. I'm lucky to be internet friends with some of these folks and I'm incredibly impressed with both their writing and the initiative and creativity needed to create an anthology together. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Home Before Dark is a great, if imperfect, haunted house story filled with twists and turns that will leave readers guessing through each moment of this gothic page-turner. I found the first quarter of the book to be kind of slow. In fact, my initial impression was that this book had been way over hyped. The premise of the book is that a family of three - mom, dad, and a little girl - flees a haunted house twenty five years ago. Although the girl remembers very little of her time in the house, her father's book about their experiences has been a defining factor in her life, much to her frustration because she believes it was all a lie. After her father dies she returns to the house. What will she discover? Interesting, but not revolutionary. The whole thing seemed vaguely similar to Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts, and other elements in Home Before Dark reminded me of various other horror books and movies too. I thought that this story was recycling a lot of familiar tropes, which to be fair might not have originated in some of books and movies I had previously seen them in either. But nevertheless my overall opinion was that Home Before Dark was nothing extraordinary. A horror novel written to appeal to “I don't read horror” thriller fans who were familiar with some of Sager's previous books perhaps? Yet, after the first 100 pages things started to pick up and I really got hooked. I'm not going to get into spoilers, but I'll just say that I didn't see the ending coming, and I actually liked how it ended up. The book was very twisty and overall a lot of fun, even if some parts of it were a bit less effective than others and I did ultimately feel that some parts of it felt a bit derivative of other works. I'd recommend this one, just don't go in believing the hype that it's the best horror novel ever. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Early on in the book, one character named Johnny Fresno colorful exclaims: “fuck you for pissing on my dream.” If Mike Bockoven ever reads this review, I imagine he might mutter these same words. Here we go! Fantasticland was anything but fantastic. Although some chapters, characters, and ideas were compelling, and the audiobook benefitted from outstanding narration by Luke Daniels and Angela Dawe, overall the story was unbelievable and problematic. It wasn't all bad though, let me start with the good. FantasticLand is an amusement park, and the book basically tells the story of how a group of employees trapped in the park for weeks following a really horrible hurricane quickly descended into Lord of the Flies levels of dystopian chaos. The book is formatted as a series of interviews with the players, similar to World War Z by Max Brooks. The format works really well, and I enjoyed listening to the events of the novel told from many different points of view. One chapter about a guy hiding out in an on-property hotel really stood out. The character was interesting, rational, and likable. The chapter has some real tension and fear, probably one of the only sections of the book I'd really call horror. I also thought that Mike Bockoven hit on a couple of really compelling themes. One antagonistic character says something like “I cannot be held responsible for how people interpret events.” That stopped me cold. I actually put a note in the audiobook, which I almost never do. Despite being written in 2016, that statement punched out of its context and rang with a chilling truth and relevance in light of the events of January 2021 and the subsequent trial. That same character went on to ask “would you have stopped me?” I don't agree that the failure of others to stop him mitigates his actions, but I think Bockoven has captured a psychology of evil and asked a really compelling question here. I wish more of the book had been concerned with this question. Unfortunately much of the rest of the book was really beyond belief. Basically as soon as the hurricane hit and the lights went out the employees became violent. Why? This question was asked multiple times in the book, as the afterword reminded us: they had food and water. I think the rapid onset of killing and tribalism was unrealistic. If we were to compare this book to Lord of the Flies, it's important to remember that these characters were adults, in some cases very young adults, but still high school graduates (despite being constantly called kids in the novel). They weren't stranded on a deserted island, they were in a theme park with supplies. There is absolutely no reason for things to have gotten so bad so quickly. Some characters tried to blame the young characters being cut off from technology and social media, but I don't buy that. It was repeatedly stated that employees weren't allowed to have their phones, but I think that's a steaming pile of sht. Has Bockoven ever met a young adult (or a not so young adult)? I'm sure that even with a no phones allowed policy in place, dozens or even hundreds of people would have one anyway. At minimum they would have them in an employee locker (and toward the end of the book or was acknowledged that an employee locker room existed). There's no reason they wouldn't have had phones. A better explanation would have been no data or internet due to the hurricane, but even that seems unlikely for the length of time described in the book. I also don't believe that young adults would go all Mad Max over not being able to post on Facebook, Twitter, IG, or TikTok, but...hey...maybe my knee-jerk millennial reaction to “these kids couldn't survive without their phones” is blinding me to the profound impacts of being cut off from the internet? In any event, I also found it totally unbelievable that survivors wouldn't have been rescued by either the authorities or corporate much more quickly. Think of the liability and worker's comp claims! We know that the corporation knew the power was out, had access to satellite phones, and even had satellite images of the park. What kind of world ending cataclysm was this hurricane that they couldn't get these folks out? It was suggested that the hurricane was really bad due to climate change, but I don't believe how slow the response time was or how little the company did. If something like this happened at Disney or Universal, I bet they'd get people out within a few days at the absolute longest. In addition to the premise being totally unbelievable, the book also discusses women in several ways that made me uncomfortable. At one point a group of characters is described as kidnapping women and then one character has this long discussion about how there wasn't any raping, and if there was raping it was someone acting alone. It was weird and gross. Other terms like “b***” are used by male characters in ways that I didn't like. Another character describes a woman's “huge rack.” Overall, the way women are viewed, treated, or referred to by some of the men in the book is pretty gross. I'm not saying this reflects the author, but I question the need to write these kinds of attitudes? These attitudes may not be totally unrealistic for some young people (or not so young people), but I still didn't love listening to them. Overall, despite its many shortcomings, listening to FantasticLand wasn't a total waste of time. It was entertaining. It's not one of the best books I've read this year, in fact it might be one of the worst, but I'd listen to Luke Daniels read just about anything. This book definitely qualifies as anything. There are some good parts of the story, such as the format and even some of the themes, but these merits could not overcome the premise which stretched suspension of disbelief to the point of snapping. 3 stars overall. 5 for narration, 2.5 for story.
I received an eARC of this book from one of the contributors for review. All opinions are my own. Collage Macabre by the Future Dead Collective is an art themed horror anthology. As a theatre artist and filmmaker I was immediately intrigued by concept and enjoyed this title immensely. Gemma Amor wrote a great introduction which sets the stage for the reader. Each story begins with a chilling illustration and explores characters intersecting with various art forms in many horrific ways. While some tropes seemed a bit repetitive or tired, others were novel and unique. Overall the stories ranged from “ok” to “excellent” with Lady Widow by Julie Sevens, Lack by TJ Price, Chiaro Obscuro by Alex Wolfgang, Station 42 by Erik McHatton, Twigs by Andrew F. Sullivan, How to Make it in Hollywood by Rachel Searcey, and Take it From the Top by Timothy Lanz being some of my favorites. Really, there were no bad stories in the bunch, making this a truly excellent anthology. I think it will appeal to artists of all sorts as well as general horror fans as well. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Many thanks to the editor of this 90s themed horror anthology for providing me a complimentary ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.
AHH! That's What I Call Horror is a cleverly named horror anthology paying homage to the last decade of the twentieth century. I was super excited to take a stroll down memory lane and read some awesome stories set 20-30 years ago. For the most part, this anthology did not disappoint. Like most anthologies there are some great stories and some that less fantastic. There were no real stinkers, and stories ranged from serviceable to excellent. Some of my favorites included The Grunge by Caleb Stephens, Return to Gray Springs: Blockbuster Blues (set in the same town as The Grunge) by P.L. McMillan, Nona's First and Last Album Drop by Edith Lockwood, The One with the Mysterious Package by C.B. Jones, Alive and Living (Pilot) by Carson Winter, and About a Girl by J.V. Gachs.
It was fun to see various 90s references sprinkled throughout the stories. I did notice that some themes and ideas seemed to be repeated throughout the anthology. Sometimes this is inevitable in a themed collection, but sometimes the repetition came from specific horror elements and not just the chronological context. I also found a couple of the stories confusing or less than fully developed. The short story format is challenging, and in a couple cases I felt like the author didn't give me enough information to completely understand what happened, or why I should care.
Still, overall this was a fun anthology. Since there were a bunch of stories I liked in this book, I'm going to call this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5)
Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence is an absolutely incredible story of antihero Prince Jorg as he seeks to take his rightful place and exact revenge on his enemies. I almost DNF'd this book in chapter one because of a horribly wicked and distasteful thing the protagonist did - almost the first thing we see Jorg do. But as the novel progresses the reader learns more about the teenage prince and how he got the way he is. I don't condone all, or most, of the prince's choices, but Mark Lawrence has done a remarkable job of writing a character that is both compelling and horrible at the same time. Understanding Jorg's history and trauma humanizes him, and I found myself rooting for the brothers despite them being terrible human beings. In many ways this is a coming-of-age story, and Jorg's journey is really something to behold. If you enjoyed the various shades of gray characters found in A Song of Ice and Fire, the phrase “game of thrones” is even used in the book, you might find this series likable too. There's also some really compelling world building, including an unexpected twist about the setting. I don't want to spoil anything, but I was pleasantly surprised to find this story loosely akin to two other books I've read recently: A Canticle for Leibowitz and Anathem. Lawrence does a great job revealing information and blending elements together. While I was occasionally confused about the rules of this world, overall I throughly enjoyed this book and plan to move directly on to King of Thorns. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
According to the author, “poetry is a life long war waged against ineffable beauty” and indeed in the book the reader may catch glimpses of beauty and truth that words cannot describe. The book can seem cliche at times, and it's really very short, but in some lines Atticus reveals truth that speaks volumes. I read it in less than an hour, but I think it's worth revisiting again.
Booked for Murder is a fun whodunnit. Set in San Francisco, aspiring author and donut shop employee Poppy Perkins is blamed for a murder she didn't commit. With the help of an independent investigator, will she be able to track down the real culprit? The book is delightfully witty and pokes fun at San Francisco tech culture. I enjoyed Khristine Hvam's narration immensely. I did think the trajectory of the plot left something to be desired, but overall I had a great time listening to this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️