criminolly's reviews
2335 reviews

Elemental Forces: Horror Short Stories by Mark Morris

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

A very enjoyable and admirably varied horror anthology, expertly pulled together by editor Mark Morris. The lack of a central theme beyond modern horror means there are all sorts of stories here. That variety means that if a story doesn’t hit the mark (and the vast majority do) then you’re only a few pages away from something different. 

Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

A genuinely gripping and enjoyable mystery with a great sci fi twist. I love speculative fiction books that build themselves around one simple central concept. ‘Titanium Noir’ does that brilliantly, and then throws a noirish mystery into the mix as well. There’s intrigue, secrets, family rivalry and a couple of great fight scenes all presented in a credible and fascinating world. 

And to my Nephew Albert I Leave the Island What I Won Off Fatty Hagan in a Poker Game... by David Forrest

funny lighthearted medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

This late 60s comic novel predates the M*A*S*H movie and TV show but not the novel that inspired them. I don’t know if that was an influence, but ‘And To My Nephew Albert…’ definitely has a similar mix of slightly saucy, booze-fuelled hijinks and political satire. In this case the story is about a young man who inherits a remote island and then finds it occupied by both US and Soviet troops. It’s VERY dated at times, but still an entertaining read - comical and intriguing with a great ending. 
David Forrest was the pseudonym of a pair of writers (David Eliades and Robert Forrest-Webb) who also wrote ‘The Great Dinosaur Robbery’ which was filmed by Disney as ‘One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing’. 

Experimental Film by Gemma Files

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

This is one of those books I’ve been aware of for a few years but had never gotten round to reading. At least in part that’s because (inexplicably) it’s not published in the UK. It sits in one of my favourite horror sub genres, cursed films, but there are so many different elements at play here it’s hard to classify neatly. 
The book follows a film critic digging into the history of some weird old footage that’s been used in an avant garde short film. There’s a historical mystery, creepy folk horror, a load of interesting film theory, moving sections on the main character’s relationship with her child, and a gripping plot to pull you through it all. The blending of real movie history and imagined films reminded me a little of ‘Flicker’ by Theodore Roszak. I didn’t love it as much as that book, but it definitely succeeds far better as a compelling piece of horror fiction. 

Harvest Blood by A W James

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

This was a fun horror novella with a neat central concept and the vibe of a low budget 80s horror movie. Every year on Halloween, one of the children of the small town where the book is set disappears. This year the sheriff is determined it won't happen again. 
The book is super fast paced and mixes a bunch of different styles of horror effectively. Whilst there's nothing groundbreaking here, I'm often not in the mood for groundbreaking. What I am pretty much always in the mood for is something a little bit creepy and a lot of fun. 'Harvest Blood' delivered.

Ripley Under Water by Patricia Highsmith

dark reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A really thoroughly enjoyable end to Highsmith’s Ripley series, with Tom Ripley being haunted by a couple who are digging into his past. At times with feels like a greatest hits, with Ripley’s past crimes discussed and dissected. And throughout it all you get the kind of wonderful tension that time and again Highsmith was able to conjuring out of simple uncertainty. 
Gripping, darkly amusing stuff. 

Canadian Crisis by Don Pendleton

adventurous tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Mack Bolan in Canada fighting the Mafia with a French Canadian agent in tow. All the action you’d expect, but this time with occasional references to Quebecois separatists. Fun. 

A Dark and Subtle Light: Machiavelli The Immortal: Book One by Mark Hodder

adventurous tense medium-paced

4.0

This was a supremely enjoyable adventure. A kind of alternative history fantasy that sees an immortal Niccolo Machiavelli infiltrating a fascist commune in 19th century Europe. The presence of brain altering mind worms as well as proto-Nazis only adds to the fun. 
It's all somewhat bonkers in an infectiously fun way. Da Vinci makes an appearance (on the side of the heroes), as does Nietzsche (for the villains). There's a kickass female warrior, some great action, nicely handled humour and a fevered pulpy inventiveness to it all that I found completely addictive.  The bad guys are utterly despicable, making the twists and turns of the book even more compelling. It has a satisfying vintage feel to it, the page turning excitement of a 70s thriller, but also manages to feel current. 
The fact that Mark Hodder weaves a lot of historical reality into his fantastical tale is impressive and makes for an even more satisfying tale.
This was the first book I've read by him. I'm very confident it won't be the last.

Headhunters by Luis Paredes

adventurous dark emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

‘Headhunters’ has a lot going for it. It’s inventive, fun, funny and moving. The book has a great found family unit at its heart, and they’re a delight to read. With hero Edgar, the ghost of his grandfather and his best friend and her aunt up against a bunch of demons. The fact that the demons have a family dynamic of their own also makes things fun. There’s action, magic and thrills throughout and the characters (human and demon) really shine. 
The challenge I had with the book is that it’s not really my kind of thing. At its heart it’s a well crafted dark fantasy tale that would suit a young audience well. As an older reader I found a lot to enjoy here, but didn’t really connect with the book as much as I’d have liked to. 
So maybe not a perfect choice for me, but if you’re a dark fantasy fan you may well love it. 

Sherlock Holmes: Zombies Over London by Stephen Mertz

adventurous funny tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Stephen Mertz's Sherlock might not be the most faithful version of Conan-Doyle's detective, he feels more like James Bond at times, but this is still a wonderfully enjoyable adventure. It's fast-paced, funny and inventive. What it lacks in logical deduction it makes up for in sheer entertainment value. It has zombies, airships, Einstein, great set piece action sequences and an enormous sense of fun. Mertz has been writing this kind of thing for decades and it shows, he never puts a foot wrong and turns in a book that will leave you grinning ear to ear.