C. J. Daley
Huge thanks to Wild Hunt Books for the review copy!
This is a fresh and unique take on the haunted house story. Right off the bat the reader is put in the know that the house isn’t just an ordinary house…but that doesn’t make it haunted. We get these really interesting chapters from the perspective of the house that serve almost as interludes, and I found them to be really decisive storytelling. The whole story speaks to our ability to inhabit and infect a place with our entirety.
In moves Simon and Priya, a recently bereaved married couple. Not only are they carrying their grief as if it’s literal baggage, they are slowly drifting apart like flotsam at sea. They are indeed the ones who are haunted. Can they come to realize what the other needs? Or will the house do it for them?
This was a quick little novella that packed a hell of a punch. The dialogue and introspection both share an incredible emotional depth, and I was really impressed by the polar opposites in Simon and Priya. This author definitely did a deep dive into his characters’ psyche. They grieve and experience like two entirely different people, and even as a married couple, they stretch and grow as separate people. I don’t know how else to explain how reading them felt other than…real.
The house and ending kind of gave me Nestlings by Nat Cassidy vibes, except like in a benevolent, more caring way. Unless you count the conniving aunt and cousin…
Huge thanks to Wild Hunt Books for the review copy!
This is a fresh and unique take on the haunted house story. Right off the bat the reader is put in the know that the house isn’t just an ordinary house…but that doesn’t make it haunted. We get these really interesting chapters from the perspective of the house that serve almost as interludes, and I found them to be really decisive storytelling. The whole story speaks to our ability to inhabit and infect a place with our entirety.
In moves Simon and Priya, a recently bereaved married couple. Not only are they carrying their grief as if it’s literal baggage, they are slowly drifting apart like flotsam at sea. They are indeed the ones who are haunted. Can they come to realize what the other needs? Or will the house do it for them?
This was a quick little novella that packed a hell of a punch. The dialogue and introspection both share an incredible emotional depth, and I was really impressed by the polar opposites in Simon and Priya. This author definitely did a deep dive into his characters’ psyche. They grieve and experience like two entirely different people, and even as a married couple, they stretch and grow as separate people. I don’t know how else to explain how reading them felt other than…real.
The house and ending kind of gave me Nestlings by Nat Cassidy vibes, except like in a benevolent, more caring way. Unless you count the conniving aunt and cousin…
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio of this one. The trio that is Eric Lockley, Kristolyn Lloyd, and Zeno Robinson did a really well balanced narration—each taking on a sibling and giving them life.
This novel is a lot of things. It’s a critique on race relations and police involvement, in kind of an à la Jordan Peele-style. It mixes hyper-violence and realism with humor, in a way that I’ve found makes it more palatable for a lot of people that wouldn’t listen/read/watch these types of things otherwise. It’s also a family saga. Dysfunctional as all hell, each jaded in their own way, and each nursing scars they’re too hurt to discuss…even if they claim they have. Calla is broke, forced to take in her younger brother Jamie—who her other brother, Dre, most definitely said he’d help way more than he is with. And most of all she’s tired. Jamie, an aspiring musician, can’t get out of his way enough to realize that he’s way less street than he realizes. And Dre is stuck somewhere in between—too annoyed by Calla to be of much help, and too ‘straight and narrow’ to reach Jamie. And then there’s the nightmares.
On top of tackling all the real world horrors, the author has also blended in nightmarish horrors kind of à la Stranger Things and Love Craft Country (I’m primarily recalling the twin girls scene, but also the idea of shedding skins works well here). Except these strange things are rather more R rated, come from within, and only want to murder the three of them. I struggled with the build up to the climax, wondering if it was about to fumble the twist, and luckily, the author really pulled it off. The explanation of the Calla’s really worked for me, and that unique spin on sacrificing yourself for your siblings, that breaking yourself down into smaller and smaller pieces—or versions of yourself—even when you have nothing more to give, was really powerful.
This book also tackles anger. Being angry with the world, with the hand you’ve been dealt, with not being loved and wanted, with your family, and even with yourself. Jamie can’t get over the way life has treated him. He’s angry, and he’s even angrier that as a black teen, the world isn’t build to accept his anger. It’s raw, it’s real, and I found this novel to be a really strong way to talk about the subject. There’s things to learn here below the surface, and it also works as a functional horror if that’s not your thing.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the audio of this one. The trio that is Eric Lockley, Kristolyn Lloyd, and Zeno Robinson did a really well balanced narration—each taking on a sibling and giving them life.
This novel is a lot of things. It’s a critique on race relations and police involvement, in kind of an à la Jordan Peele-style. It mixes hyper-violence and realism with humor, in a way that I’ve found makes it more palatable for a lot of people that wouldn’t listen/read/watch these types of things otherwise. It’s also a family saga. Dysfunctional as all hell, each jaded in their own way, and each nursing scars they’re too hurt to discuss…even if they claim they have. Calla is broke, forced to take in her younger brother Jamie—who her other brother, Dre, most definitely said he’d help way more than he is with. And most of all she’s tired. Jamie, an aspiring musician, can’t get out of his way enough to realize that he’s way less street than he realizes. And Dre is stuck somewhere in between—too annoyed by Calla to be of much help, and too ‘straight and narrow’ to reach Jamie. And then there’s the nightmares.
On top of tackling all the real world horrors, the author has also blended in nightmarish horrors kind of à la Stranger Things and Love Craft Country (I’m primarily recalling the twin girls scene, but also the idea of shedding skins works well here). Except these strange things are rather more R rated, come from within, and only want to murder the three of them. I struggled with the build up to the climax, wondering if it was about to fumble the twist, and luckily, the author really pulled it off. The explanation of the Calla’s really worked for me, and that unique spin on sacrificing yourself for your siblings, that breaking yourself down into smaller and smaller pieces—or versions of yourself—even when you have nothing more to give, was really powerful.
This book also tackles anger. Being angry with the world, with the hand you’ve been dealt, with not being loved and wanted, with your family, and even with yourself. Jamie can’t get over the way life has treated him. He’s angry, and he’s even angrier that as a black teen, the world isn’t build to accept his anger. It’s raw, it’s real, and I found this novel to be a really strong way to talk about the subject. There’s things to learn here below the surface, and it also works as a functional horror if that’s not your thing.
Thanks to the publisher for this one! This is an Antarctic contagion thriller that was actually written on the continent! That’s so sick.
A team of scientists and engineers have begun to hunker down for the winter season on the ice of Antarctica. The author does a good job of letting the reader know right off the bat that these two groups don’t really get along, foreshadowing future tensions. He also does an incredible job of juggling quite a large cast of characters, which was something I initially worried about—but no need.
When a trio of Chinese scientists make an incredible trek across the frozen wasteland, with quite a heinous scene on display in the back of the truck, you know this is not your normal winter on the ice. One of their team had been brutalized, completely unrecognizable, and no one knows why. And even worse, the station’s Dr. Wei now thinks that all those that stepped foot on the truck after may now be infected.
What follows is a truly high octane, nightmare fueled battle from start to finish. Where the author brings us scientific reasoning just as often as shockingly brutal violence. This is a well paced, and intricately organized thriller, and the author does not let off the pedal until it’s over. It’s a unique take, where the infestation is fighting just as hard (if not harder) for its survival as the humans.
The novel takes place during WWIII, where its near-future take on politics extrapolated to their almost inevitable conclusion, is almost more frightening than the violence itself. But it also gives the novel this truly grounded feeling, that even without stepping foot on that ice, you can know it’s actually happening.
To touch on this quick, the back cover says Contagion meets The Walking Dead. While I have not seen Contagion, this really is nothing like TWD, and while there are some zombie-ish descriptions it’s more like a rage-fueled illness. It felt kind of like they grabbed the biggest IP they could think of and rolled with it, even though it’s not a perfect fit. Maybe to further itself from The Thing? Now, this really in no way marred my enjoyment of this novel, I was definitely looking for it though because they put it there. Maybe more I Am Legend, fresh-turned Z Nation zombies, Days Gone even. Coincidentally the use of worms and infestation did go hand in hand with Angela Sylvaine’s Frost Bite, which I read right after, or even The Troop by Nick Cutter and Infected by Scott Sigler.
Thanks to the publisher for this one! This is an Antarctic contagion thriller that was actually written on the continent! That’s so sick.
A team of scientists and engineers have begun to hunker down for the winter season on the ice of Antarctica. The author does a good job of letting the reader know right off the bat that these two groups don’t really get along, foreshadowing future tensions. He also does an incredible job of juggling quite a large cast of characters, which was something I initially worried about—but no need.
When a trio of Chinese scientists make an incredible trek across the frozen wasteland, with quite a heinous scene on display in the back of the truck, you know this is not your normal winter on the ice. One of their team had been brutalized, completely unrecognizable, and no one knows why. And even worse, the station’s Dr. Wei now thinks that all those that stepped foot on the truck after may now be infected.
What follows is a truly high octane, nightmare fueled battle from start to finish. Where the author brings us scientific reasoning just as often as shockingly brutal violence. This is a well paced, and intricately organized thriller, and the author does not let off the pedal until it’s over. It’s a unique take, where the infestation is fighting just as hard (if not harder) for its survival as the humans.
The novel takes place during WWIII, where its near-future take on politics extrapolated to their almost inevitable conclusion, is almost more frightening than the violence itself. But it also gives the novel this truly grounded feeling, that even without stepping foot on that ice, you can know it’s actually happening.
To touch on this quick, the back cover says Contagion meets The Walking Dead. While I have not seen Contagion, this really is nothing like TWD, and while there are some zombie-ish descriptions it’s more like a rage-fueled illness. It felt kind of like they grabbed the biggest IP they could think of and rolled with it, even though it’s not a perfect fit. Maybe to further itself from The Thing? Now, this really in no way marred my enjoyment of this novel, I was definitely looking for it though because they put it there. Maybe more I Am Legend, fresh-turned Z Nation zombies, Days Gone even. Coincidentally the use of worms and infestation did go hand in hand with Angela Sylvaine’s Frost Bite, which I read right after, or even The Troop by Nick Cutter and Infected by Scott Sigler.
I have a physical copy of this somewhere, so I know I was already interested, but as I’m mostly doing audio lately, and had the chance to listen to judge for the Indie Ink Awards, I couldn’t resist.
I’m sure you’ve seen this around the internet. The author is just a real nice guy, talking about his clean and classic fantasy series, and showing off a nice green library. It’s probably on your TBR, and I’m here now to tell you you should read it. The narration by Peter Leppard is real solid too!
This has the classical feel he’s aiming for. It’s clean, with nothing gratuitous in its fighting or language. There’s emotion, understanding, and heart, with loving parents and displays of affection. It felt almost like the cast of The Lord of the Rings thrown into the earlier, lighter world of The Hobbit, but the orcs have been fleshed out and they’re not mindless, evil things. And while there is originality within for sure, I do warn you of the similarities. If that’s a feel you know and love, but are open to something new, this is exactly for you.
Earlier in the story I struggled slightly with conflict. The author is telling you why things are important, why the characters must do something, but I just didn’t feel it yet. I struggled with being drawn into their tale past just the words spoken, and while I understand the choice with the author showing both sides of the conflict, it made it hard to feel pull to side with someone. Later, this gets entirely erased though, as the author does an incredible job of building a climax with action that doesn’t even need violence to feel in your face. He somehow balances stakes while keeping it clean for readers. I cared for the survival of the characters, and each of them is well balanced with their own skills and areas of expertise. This emotional connection ensured I was ready for anything, and hoping for everyone’s survival.
The author’s take on elves had me thinking of Adam R. Bishop’s A Sea of Cinders, though of course with less violence. I really enjoyed this, and I’m still feeling somewhat concerned for anyone making me feel for an orc.
I have a physical copy of this somewhere, so I know I was already interested, but as I’m mostly doing audio lately, and had the chance to listen to judge for the Indie Ink Awards, I couldn’t resist.
I’m sure you’ve seen this around the internet. The author is just a real nice guy, talking about his clean and classic fantasy series, and showing off a nice green library. It’s probably on your TBR, and I’m here now to tell you you should read it. The narration by Peter Leppard is real solid too!
This has the classical feel he’s aiming for. It’s clean, with nothing gratuitous in its fighting or language. There’s emotion, understanding, and heart, with loving parents and displays of affection. It felt almost like the cast of The Lord of the Rings thrown into the earlier, lighter world of The Hobbit, but the orcs have been fleshed out and they’re not mindless, evil things. And while there is originality within for sure, I do warn you of the similarities. If that’s a feel you know and love, but are open to something new, this is exactly for you.
Earlier in the story I struggled slightly with conflict. The author is telling you why things are important, why the characters must do something, but I just didn’t feel it yet. I struggled with being drawn into their tale past just the words spoken, and while I understand the choice with the author showing both sides of the conflict, it made it hard to feel pull to side with someone. Later, this gets entirely erased though, as the author does an incredible job of building a climax with action that doesn’t even need violence to feel in your face. He somehow balances stakes while keeping it clean for readers. I cared for the survival of the characters, and each of them is well balanced with their own skills and areas of expertise. This emotional connection ensured I was ready for anything, and hoping for everyone’s survival.
The author’s take on elves had me thinking of Adam R. Bishop’s A Sea of Cinders, though of course with less violence. I really enjoyed this, and I’m still feeling somewhat concerned for anyone making me feel for an orc.
