jdkauthor's reviews
135 reviews
Collective Darkness: A Horror Anthology by Alex Child, Brandon Prows, B. Todd Orgill, Rebecca Roberts, Jen Ellwyn, K.R. Patterson, Samuel Smith, Becca Rose, Edward Suggs, Elizabeth Suggs, Jonathan Reddoch
4.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
"The pupils were the abyss. Looking into them was to fall into an endless twilight, time suspending, a desire to scream welling up to never be heard. Their irises stared up into the night sky, with the same scary emptiness, depth, and beauty."
– Samuel Smith, The Breathing Wall
Horror anthologies, particularly those featuring stories from a varied line-up of authors, have always been a solid cornerstone of my reading habits. There is something very exciting about picking up a collection and not knowing what you’re going to get; a sort of pick-and-mix bag containing lots of different flavours, if you will. It’s even more enticing when the collection features fresh writers such as this, offering a chance to discover newcomers to the field, and to experience new voices in the genre.
Often, they’re not all going to be to your individual taste. But every now and again an anthology comes along that provides many more hits than misses, and for me, Collective Darkness: A Horror Anthology (2020), from Editing Mee, certainly fits that description.
As John M. Olsen aptly describes in the foreword, “In this case, the theme was ‘darkness’. This gives you a view into the mind of each author, and a little insight into the form of their personal demons, the things that make them jump and check over their shoulder when the shadows grow long”. This pretty accurately sums up the stories in Collective Darkness, being that they concern the theme of darkness itself, and how that idea is interpreted by all of the authors.
The quote also highlights the anthology’s greatest strength: every writer was given the freedom to depict the theme as they saw fit, making the stories feel personal to each author. Sometimes the darkness is figurative – such as in Becca Rose’s Brisket, Please or Elizabeth Suggs’ Into the Dark – the sort that lurks within the mind or heart, that grows and gnaws internally at the characters. Other stories offer a much more literal darkness – like that shown in B. Todd Orgill’s The Last Light or Chris Jorgensen’s The Fallout – the absence or distortion of light concealing monstrous horrors and beastly creatures.
This collection was actually brought onto my radar by several of the authors themselves, namely Elizabeth Suggs and Jonathan Reddoch, whose work ethic in promoting this project on social media platforms such as Instagram, hosting readings on Facebook, and all manner of things in between, has been truly admirable. It takes an awful lot of work to stand out from the crowd, particularly within the horror genre, so kudos to those two, and indeed the rest of the team, for their respectable effort in getting their work out and into the world. As mentioned earlier, I’ve always been a fan of the anthology format, so reading this was really a no-brainer for me.
Moving on to the stories themselves, I’ll start with the few little issues I had, and get those out of the way first. There were – as ever with anthologies – some minor niggles. There is quite a significant variance in story length, which I found somewhat disorienting. I’m not sure how word counts for each individual tale was approached, but certain stories felt like they could have benefited from more fleshing out, a bit more of the old ‘meat on the bones’ so to speak, as some of the longer ones almost eclipse them in the collection. Obviously given the nature of the anthology, not every story clicked with me, though that is more attributable to individual taste than anything else.
With that being said, a large portion of the stories on offer here did resonate with me, and many were original and very enjoyable as a result. If I were to select three personal highlights they would be – in no particular order – Red Flag, The Fallout, and The Breathing Wall. Written by K. R. Patterson, Red Flag details a mother’s growing concern with her emotionally detached son, weaving a compelling psychological tale about the relationship between a mother and her child to chilling effect. Chris Jorgensen’s The Fallout is an engrossing story of psychological breakdown, and of creatures lurking in a mysterious fog, in many ways evoking the excellent Stephen King novella The Mist (1980). Finally, The Breathing Wall from Samuel Smith is a hypnotic tale of scientific experimentation and the eldritch horrors it creates, set against the backdrop of an intriguing fantasy world, conjuring up wild images of godlike entities and unknowable monstrosities à la H. P. Lovecraft.
These are just a few of the twelve stories compiled together and on offer in Collective Darkness. There are many more besides, and they all have their own draws and individual character (special mention to Jonathan Reddoch’s unique vampiric tale, Padua’s Eyes), and make this an easy recommendation from me to all fans of the mysterious and the macabre. Delve into the darkness yourself, if you dare.
VERDICT: An anthology featuring a wide variety of horror stories from fresh faces in the genre, many of whom I’ll be keeping a keen eye on, Collective Darkness is sure to offer a little something for everybody. Overall, this is a strong collection of intriguing and thoroughly inventive tales, and I am personally looking forward to the future projects from Editing Mee and Collective Tales Publishing.
A solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer.
Book Information
Title(s): Collective Darkness: A Horror Anthology, Collective Darkness
Author(s): Elizabeth Suggs, Edward Suggs, Jonathan Reddoch, K. R. Patterson, Becca Rose, Jen Ellwyn, Samuel Smith, Brandon Prows, B. Todd Orgill, Chris Jorgensen, Austin Slade Perry and Alex Child
Publisher(s): Editing Mee
Original Publication Date: 2nd September, 2020
Page Count: 167 pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): N
Website(s): https://www.collectivedarkness.com/
https://www.editingmee.com/
"The pupils were the abyss. Looking into them was to fall into an endless twilight, time suspending, a desire to scream welling up to never be heard. Their irises stared up into the night sky, with the same scary emptiness, depth, and beauty."
– Samuel Smith, The Breathing Wall
Horror anthologies, particularly those featuring stories from a varied line-up of authors, have always been a solid cornerstone of my reading habits. There is something very exciting about picking up a collection and not knowing what you’re going to get; a sort of pick-and-mix bag containing lots of different flavours, if you will. It’s even more enticing when the collection features fresh writers such as this, offering a chance to discover newcomers to the field, and to experience new voices in the genre.
Often, they’re not all going to be to your individual taste. But every now and again an anthology comes along that provides many more hits than misses, and for me, Collective Darkness: A Horror Anthology (2020), from Editing Mee, certainly fits that description.
As John M. Olsen aptly describes in the foreword, “In this case, the theme was ‘darkness’. This gives you a view into the mind of each author, and a little insight into the form of their personal demons, the things that make them jump and check over their shoulder when the shadows grow long”. This pretty accurately sums up the stories in Collective Darkness, being that they concern the theme of darkness itself, and how that idea is interpreted by all of the authors.
The quote also highlights the anthology’s greatest strength: every writer was given the freedom to depict the theme as they saw fit, making the stories feel personal to each author. Sometimes the darkness is figurative – such as in Becca Rose’s Brisket, Please or Elizabeth Suggs’ Into the Dark – the sort that lurks within the mind or heart, that grows and gnaws internally at the characters. Other stories offer a much more literal darkness – like that shown in B. Todd Orgill’s The Last Light or Chris Jorgensen’s The Fallout – the absence or distortion of light concealing monstrous horrors and beastly creatures.
This collection was actually brought onto my radar by several of the authors themselves, namely Elizabeth Suggs and Jonathan Reddoch, whose work ethic in promoting this project on social media platforms such as Instagram, hosting readings on Facebook, and all manner of things in between, has been truly admirable. It takes an awful lot of work to stand out from the crowd, particularly within the horror genre, so kudos to those two, and indeed the rest of the team, for their respectable effort in getting their work out and into the world. As mentioned earlier, I’ve always been a fan of the anthology format, so reading this was really a no-brainer for me.
Moving on to the stories themselves, I’ll start with the few little issues I had, and get those out of the way first. There were – as ever with anthologies – some minor niggles. There is quite a significant variance in story length, which I found somewhat disorienting. I’m not sure how word counts for each individual tale was approached, but certain stories felt like they could have benefited from more fleshing out, a bit more of the old ‘meat on the bones’ so to speak, as some of the longer ones almost eclipse them in the collection. Obviously given the nature of the anthology, not every story clicked with me, though that is more attributable to individual taste than anything else.
With that being said, a large portion of the stories on offer here did resonate with me, and many were original and very enjoyable as a result. If I were to select three personal highlights they would be – in no particular order – Red Flag, The Fallout, and The Breathing Wall. Written by K. R. Patterson, Red Flag details a mother’s growing concern with her emotionally detached son, weaving a compelling psychological tale about the relationship between a mother and her child to chilling effect. Chris Jorgensen’s The Fallout is an engrossing story of psychological breakdown, and of creatures lurking in a mysterious fog, in many ways evoking the excellent Stephen King novella The Mist (1980). Finally, The Breathing Wall from Samuel Smith is a hypnotic tale of scientific experimentation and the eldritch horrors it creates, set against the backdrop of an intriguing fantasy world, conjuring up wild images of godlike entities and unknowable monstrosities à la H. P. Lovecraft.
These are just a few of the twelve stories compiled together and on offer in Collective Darkness. There are many more besides, and they all have their own draws and individual character (special mention to Jonathan Reddoch’s unique vampiric tale, Padua’s Eyes), and make this an easy recommendation from me to all fans of the mysterious and the macabre. Delve into the darkness yourself, if you dare.
VERDICT: An anthology featuring a wide variety of horror stories from fresh faces in the genre, many of whom I’ll be keeping a keen eye on, Collective Darkness is sure to offer a little something for everybody. Overall, this is a strong collection of intriguing and thoroughly inventive tales, and I am personally looking forward to the future projects from Editing Mee and Collective Tales Publishing.
A solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer.
Book Information
Title(s): Collective Darkness: A Horror Anthology, Collective Darkness
Author(s): Elizabeth Suggs, Edward Suggs, Jonathan Reddoch, K. R. Patterson, Becca Rose, Jen Ellwyn, Samuel Smith, Brandon Prows, B. Todd Orgill, Chris Jorgensen, Austin Slade Perry and Alex Child
Publisher(s): Editing Mee
Original Publication Date: 2nd September, 2020
Page Count: 167 pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): N
Website(s): https://www.collectivedarkness.com/
https://www.editingmee.com/
The Sadist's Bible by Nicole Cushing
4.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“And so the cycle must continue and escalate until – at the end of history – we arrive at a destination of ultimate deformity; the place at which humanity has reached the peak of perversion. I shall perfect humanity in the only way it can be perfected, by making it perfectly monstrous.”
– Nicole Cushing, The Sadist’s Bible
Realistically, a title like The Sadist’s Bible (2016) gives all the indication the reader needs, as to what kind of story this book is going to be. Boy, does it frequently live up to it as well. The narrative begins with two women who meet and begin exchanging messages with one another, on an online board designed to find a suicide partner.
Ellie Blake is the older of the two, and is coming to terms with her own homosexuality during a nineteen year long – and largely loveless – heterosexual marriage. She lives in Indiana, specifically in an area with very conservative and religious peoples and views. She knows that coming out would have consequences, both for her and her husband, and feels trapped as a result. Ellie sees her situation as one of utter mediocrity: she is an average woman, with an average husband, and is living a totally unremarkable life. Perceiving her own existence as a constant string of wasted opportunity – of wasted relationships, and wasted potential – she decides to end it. Before she does though, she intends to satisfy her unrealised fantasy of sleeping with and sexually dominating another woman.
Lori Morris is a bisexual woman, about thirteen years Ellie’s junior, and proposes that the two of them have sex before committing suicide together. She has an entirely different reason for wanting to end her life. Every single Sunday for a prolonged period of time, she has been violently maimed and raped by God.
She has also mothered his acephalic child, Joshua, whom she plans to murder shortly before her own suicide.
Yeah.
As you might imagine, this book really won’t appeal to everyone. In fact, I don’t think it’d be stretch to say that The Sadist’s Bible is only going to cater to quite a niche audience. Given that brief plot synopsis and the title, you would be right in assuming that this book gets pretty blasphemous. For me, that isn’t where I took issue: I don’t really consider myself a religious individual, by any stretch of the imagination – but there are definitely going to be a lot of readers, even horror ones, put of by the premise alone. The God of The Sadist’s Bible is no benevolent being of forgiveness and salvation. It is a wickedly sadistic entity, bent on making humanity as deformed and helpless as possible so that they are utterly reliant on him. As the narrative repeats throughout, “THE ARC OF THE UNIVERSE IS LONG, BUT BENDS TOWARDS DEGENERACY”.
I suppose my own biggest issue with this book is its distinct lack of intrigue in the narrative. This is THE biblical God; the omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent God, the all-knowing and the all-powerful God. The odds aren’t exactly in favour of the two women from the offset, and the narrative doesn’t really surprise much in that regard. I also felt that neither Ellie nor Lori were particularly rounded out as characters, so it was hard for me to be invested in either of their fates. I didn’t really warm to them, Ellie in particular. I also felt that Lori’s plan to escape an ever-present God by committing suicide seemed like a scheme with very little foresight.
That said though, there was also a lot to like here, as a horror fan. Cushing’s use of language is devilishly good at describing even the most grotesque and shocking of scenes. Though I don’t think the ending packs a lot of punch in a narrative sense, it certainly does in terms of imagery. The way scenes of sexual sadomasochism are effortlessly weaved into those of extremely graphic gore is masterful. I just wish the book was much longer, and that the notions it conjures up were explored much deeper. As it stands, The Sadist’s Bible feels like something of an extract, a bit underdeveloped and underwhelming, which is a shame as there is an awful lot to love here too.
VERDICT: The Sadist’s Bible will certainly not be everyone’s cup of tea, that’s a given. But in spite of my issues with the book, I did quite enjoy it. The story is solidly written and compelling, even if it doesn’t have a satisfactory pay-off. Though it could have done with a lot more fleshing out, the concept itself is ambitious in scope, and quite terrifying on an existential level. The ideas brought forward in regards to the nature of heaven and hell are ones that I’ve thought about myself, and are genuinely pretty scary. All things considered, The Sadist’s Bible is a very good book, but never quite great for me personally.
After a lot of mulling over and back and forth, it’s a ⭐⭐⭐
“And so the cycle must continue and escalate until – at the end of history – we arrive at a destination of ultimate deformity; the place at which humanity has reached the peak of perversion. I shall perfect humanity in the only way it can be perfected, by making it perfectly monstrous.”
– Nicole Cushing, The Sadist’s Bible
Realistically, a title like The Sadist’s Bible (2016) gives all the indication the reader needs, as to what kind of story this book is going to be. Boy, does it frequently live up to it as well. The narrative begins with two women who meet and begin exchanging messages with one another, on an online board designed to find a suicide partner.
Ellie Blake is the older of the two, and is coming to terms with her own homosexuality during a nineteen year long – and largely loveless – heterosexual marriage. She lives in Indiana, specifically in an area with very conservative and religious peoples and views. She knows that coming out would have consequences, both for her and her husband, and feels trapped as a result. Ellie sees her situation as one of utter mediocrity: she is an average woman, with an average husband, and is living a totally unremarkable life. Perceiving her own existence as a constant string of wasted opportunity – of wasted relationships, and wasted potential – she decides to end it. Before she does though, she intends to satisfy her unrealised fantasy of sleeping with and sexually dominating another woman.
Lori Morris is a bisexual woman, about thirteen years Ellie’s junior, and proposes that the two of them have sex before committing suicide together. She has an entirely different reason for wanting to end her life. Every single Sunday for a prolonged period of time, she has been violently maimed and raped by God.
She has also mothered his acephalic child, Joshua, whom she plans to murder shortly before her own suicide.
Yeah.
As you might imagine, this book really won’t appeal to everyone. In fact, I don’t think it’d be stretch to say that The Sadist’s Bible is only going to cater to quite a niche audience. Given that brief plot synopsis and the title, you would be right in assuming that this book gets pretty blasphemous. For me, that isn’t where I took issue: I don’t really consider myself a religious individual, by any stretch of the imagination – but there are definitely going to be a lot of readers, even horror ones, put of by the premise alone. The God of The Sadist’s Bible is no benevolent being of forgiveness and salvation. It is a wickedly sadistic entity, bent on making humanity as deformed and helpless as possible so that they are utterly reliant on him. As the narrative repeats throughout, “THE ARC OF THE UNIVERSE IS LONG, BUT BENDS TOWARDS DEGENERACY”.
I suppose my own biggest issue with this book is its distinct lack of intrigue in the narrative. This is THE biblical God; the omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent God, the all-knowing and the all-powerful God. The odds aren’t exactly in favour of the two women from the offset, and the narrative doesn’t really surprise much in that regard. I also felt that neither Ellie nor Lori were particularly rounded out as characters, so it was hard for me to be invested in either of their fates. I didn’t really warm to them, Ellie in particular. I also felt that Lori’s plan to escape an ever-present God by committing suicide seemed like a scheme with very little foresight.
That said though, there was also a lot to like here, as a horror fan. Cushing’s use of language is devilishly good at describing even the most grotesque and shocking of scenes. Though I don’t think the ending packs a lot of punch in a narrative sense, it certainly does in terms of imagery. The way scenes of sexual sadomasochism are effortlessly weaved into those of extremely graphic gore is masterful. I just wish the book was much longer, and that the notions it conjures up were explored much deeper. As it stands, The Sadist’s Bible feels like something of an extract, a bit underdeveloped and underwhelming, which is a shame as there is an awful lot to love here too.
VERDICT: The Sadist’s Bible will certainly not be everyone’s cup of tea, that’s a given. But in spite of my issues with the book, I did quite enjoy it. The story is solidly written and compelling, even if it doesn’t have a satisfactory pay-off. Though it could have done with a lot more fleshing out, the concept itself is ambitious in scope, and quite terrifying on an existential level. The ideas brought forward in regards to the nature of heaven and hell are ones that I’ve thought about myself, and are genuinely pretty scary. All things considered, The Sadist’s Bible is a very good book, but never quite great for me personally.
After a lot of mulling over and back and forth, it’s a ⭐⭐⭐
The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot's Revenge by Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia
4.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“It couldn’t be the Dzunukwa, or the Bakwas. Sasquatch weren’t real, or Bigfoot, or the million other names people called creatures like that. It had to be a mutant, a one-off. Some sort of birth defect. Because Bigfoot did not exist.”
– Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge
I feel like I should probably start this review with an admission; I love cryptids. I love, love, love them. I will greedily devour any piece of media regarding them: books, documentaries, movies – I just absolutely love it all. The subject has been something of a personal hobby of mine for an awful long time now.
So with that in mind, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge (2020) from Holly and Ryan Garcia, a novel about a Bigfoot encounter in small-town America, already had a slight advantage going in. Though, it also needs mentioning that I had already experienced Max Brooks’ stellar story of survival, Devolution (2020), earlier this year. Similarly focusing on a man versus Bigfoot narrative, Brooks’ astonishing book had set a lofty bar for stories concerning the lovable (or not so, in these two examples) hairy ape.
I’ll be honest – going into this story, I was a little worried that the incredibly high standard set by Brooks would be a burden. But actually, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this story was, and how much it stood up in its own right. Whilst Brooks’ interpretation of Bigfoot was more scientific, depicting them as animalistic primates driven by primal urges, the Garcia’s offer a more tribal and societal version of the hairy beasts. This distinction, alongside the more human qualities they chose to instil in their apes, completely drew me in.
The characters are terrific, and really well-written. Henry Miller makes for an interesting protagonist, and his relationships and interactions with the other characters feel natural and realistic. The back and forth between Henry and his friend Pete Stewart was great, as was the contentious rivalry between himself and fellow hunting enthusiast Robert Williams. I really loved how the authors set the scene as well – it was very easy to put myself in those deep forests, shadowed by the Cascades mountain range, to feel the temperamental weather of the Pacific Northwest, and to soak in the atmosphere of Easton Falls, a classic all-American town through and through.
At around a hundred pages, this is a brisk experience – I would have perhaps preferred a little more delving into the town itself, and into the people that call it home. I felt like some of the plot points regarding Henry and his (recently ex) partner Kate’s relationship sort of fizzled out, when they could have been developed further, for more emotional resonance. I’d also have been keen to see more from characters like Kellen Tsosie, who was really intriguing. His and his family’s role as peacekeeper between the town and the tribe of Bigfoot is definitely something that could have been expanded further.
I wouldn’t say the plot reinvented the wheel either, but nor did I think it particularly needed to. As a straightforward, sometimes thrilling, and consistently entertaining narrative, there was so much to love here. It is worth noting as well that this story is subtitled ‘Book One’, so if the Garcia’s plan to return to this world, I’ll be more than happy to revisit Easton Falls and its townsfolk. I’d also be eager to learn more about their version of everyone’s favourite elusive primate. The fact that it left me very hungry for more is only ever a good thing, in my opinion.
VERDICT: The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge does what it says on the metaphorical tin: it weaves a simple but endlessly entertaining story of furry vengeance (nothing to do with the awful 2010 ‘comedy’ film of that name, thankfully), with an engaging cast of characters, excellent scene descriptions, and several enjoyable set pieces. It’s a short experience – I’d have happily read more about the town and its residents, prior to things going to hell – but is thoroughly engaging, and easy reading, to coast through over a spare day or two. I would definitely be up for reading more from this pair of authors in the future.
All things considered, it’s a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer.
Book Information
Title(s): The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge, The Easton Falls Massacre
Author(s): Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia
Publisher(s): Close to the Bone
Original Publication Date: 30th October 2020
Page Count: 99 Pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): N
Website(s): https://www.hollyraegarcia.com/
https://www.ryanprenticegarcia.com/
https://www.close2thebone.co.uk/wp/
“It couldn’t be the Dzunukwa, or the Bakwas. Sasquatch weren’t real, or Bigfoot, or the million other names people called creatures like that. It had to be a mutant, a one-off. Some sort of birth defect. Because Bigfoot did not exist.”
– Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge
I feel like I should probably start this review with an admission; I love cryptids. I love, love, love them. I will greedily devour any piece of media regarding them: books, documentaries, movies – I just absolutely love it all. The subject has been something of a personal hobby of mine for an awful long time now.
So with that in mind, The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge (2020) from Holly and Ryan Garcia, a novel about a Bigfoot encounter in small-town America, already had a slight advantage going in. Though, it also needs mentioning that I had already experienced Max Brooks’ stellar story of survival, Devolution (2020), earlier this year. Similarly focusing on a man versus Bigfoot narrative, Brooks’ astonishing book had set a lofty bar for stories concerning the lovable (or not so, in these two examples) hairy ape.
I’ll be honest – going into this story, I was a little worried that the incredibly high standard set by Brooks would be a burden. But actually, I was pleasantly surprised by how good this story was, and how much it stood up in its own right. Whilst Brooks’ interpretation of Bigfoot was more scientific, depicting them as animalistic primates driven by primal urges, the Garcia’s offer a more tribal and societal version of the hairy beasts. This distinction, alongside the more human qualities they chose to instil in their apes, completely drew me in.
The characters are terrific, and really well-written. Henry Miller makes for an interesting protagonist, and his relationships and interactions with the other characters feel natural and realistic. The back and forth between Henry and his friend Pete Stewart was great, as was the contentious rivalry between himself and fellow hunting enthusiast Robert Williams. I really loved how the authors set the scene as well – it was very easy to put myself in those deep forests, shadowed by the Cascades mountain range, to feel the temperamental weather of the Pacific Northwest, and to soak in the atmosphere of Easton Falls, a classic all-American town through and through.
At around a hundred pages, this is a brisk experience – I would have perhaps preferred a little more delving into the town itself, and into the people that call it home. I felt like some of the plot points regarding Henry and his (recently ex) partner Kate’s relationship sort of fizzled out, when they could have been developed further, for more emotional resonance. I’d also have been keen to see more from characters like Kellen Tsosie, who was really intriguing. His and his family’s role as peacekeeper between the town and the tribe of Bigfoot is definitely something that could have been expanded further.
I wouldn’t say the plot reinvented the wheel either, but nor did I think it particularly needed to. As a straightforward, sometimes thrilling, and consistently entertaining narrative, there was so much to love here. It is worth noting as well that this story is subtitled ‘Book One’, so if the Garcia’s plan to return to this world, I’ll be more than happy to revisit Easton Falls and its townsfolk. I’d also be eager to learn more about their version of everyone’s favourite elusive primate. The fact that it left me very hungry for more is only ever a good thing, in my opinion.
VERDICT: The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge does what it says on the metaphorical tin: it weaves a simple but endlessly entertaining story of furry vengeance (nothing to do with the awful 2010 ‘comedy’ film of that name, thankfully), with an engaging cast of characters, excellent scene descriptions, and several enjoyable set pieces. It’s a short experience – I’d have happily read more about the town and its residents, prior to things going to hell – but is thoroughly engaging, and easy reading, to coast through over a spare day or two. I would definitely be up for reading more from this pair of authors in the future.
All things considered, it’s a solid ⭐⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer.
Book Information
Title(s): The Easton Falls Massacre: Bigfoot’s Revenge, The Easton Falls Massacre
Author(s): Holly Rae Garcia, Ryan Prentice Garcia
Publisher(s): Close to the Bone
Original Publication Date: 30th October 2020
Page Count: 99 Pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): N
Website(s): https://www.hollyraegarcia.com/
https://www.ryanprenticegarcia.com/
https://www.close2thebone.co.uk/wp/
CRADLES THE BRAIN by Alyanna Poe
4.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“Denial
Denial
Of something so vital
A life devoid of this
Is a life void of bliss.”
– Alyanna Poe, Forbiddance
“Denial
Denial
Of something so vital
A life devoid of this
Is a life void of bliss.”
– Alyanna Poe, Forbiddance
Bad People by Craig Wallwork
4.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“He didn’t like silence. Bad things live in the shadows and silence.”
– Craig Wallwork, Bad People
“He didn’t like silence. Bad things live in the shadows and silence.”
– Craig Wallwork, Bad People
Silence is an Enemy by Thomas M. Atherton
3.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“Even Oli had taken on this dream. This pretence. A sham almost. That everything was still rosy. That everything could go back to just how it had been before. As if the crash had never happened.”
– Thomas M. Atherton, Silence is an Enemy
❌I received an e-Book of this story in exchange for a fair review!❌
I just want to preface my thoughts; I read a couple of the reviews for this book on goodreads shortly after finishing, and to be honest I share almost exactly the same sentiments as a lot of other reviewers on here.
Silence is an Enemy follows a man named Oliver Harrison, who is described as being a pretty average character overall, leading an equally unremarkable life. He meets Isobel, and the two appear to be a perfectly matched couple. One evening, after their engagement party with their mutual friends, the two are in a car crash, and Isobel is left with serious injuries. The narrative then follows Oli’s attempts to cope with the aftermath of the accident, and with the injuries Isobel suffered. It sort of proceeds as an examination of their relationship, and of Oli’s psyche, with a sprinkling of thriller elements.
I really liked the intro chapter; it was well-written and engaged me from the offset. This is followed by a section which introduces us to our narrator, who seems to be a character that knows Oli pretty intimately but is never identified themselves. Personally, I found this device and this section a little confusing – I’m not sure it was entirely necessary, and the lengthy backstory about Oli slowed the intrigue of the opening act right down.
Which brings me onto my biggest gripe and the main area for improvement in this story: the pacing. As a few of the other reviews have said, this is very much a book of two halves, the first of which really feels more like a romantic/relationship drama. I’ll admit, I didn’t have too much background information on this book going in (outside of the one review on Instagram that originally introduced me to this author), but even by the halfway mark of around 110 pages, I still wasn’t entirely sure what genre Silence is an Enemy belonged to.
As a result, the narrative moved at a pretty slow pace for the entirety of its first half, and it wasn’t until the latter third that the tempo started picking up. Unfortunately, this meant that several plot elements were introduced late in the game, and didn’t have quite enough time fully manifest before the ending. Whilst on the subject of the finale, for my taste it was left a little too open-ended. I think I can see the general idea behind the conclusion, and what the author was trying to imply with it, it just didn’t quite land for me.
However with that being said, there are a lot of positive aspects to Silence is an Enemy too. Atherton has a real talent for writing, I think that much is more than evident. His descriptions of scenes and events are in depth and vivid, and as such very easy to picture. His language is accessible but also varied, which is always a bonus. The cast of characters he creates feel genuine, and the emotional states they each go through came across as natural and sincere. I think Oli was relatable, and the way he responded to certain traumatic situations felt organic and realistic too.
All in all, I thought this was a more than competently written story, with some intriguing plot elements, developed and fleshed out characters, and is certainly worth a read. I feel like the areas for improvement are all things that will come to Atherton naturally with the more he writes, and as a debut novel, Silence is an Enemy is a solid and admirable start.
VERDICT: Overall, I think there are some areas that Silence is an Enemy excels in, and other departments that could do with a bit of tightening up. This book certainly illustrates that Atherton is an author with a hell of a lot of future potential; he clearly has a strong vocabulary pool and a knack for writing characters. Regretfully, the first half of this book does move along at a slow pace, and its quite difficult to really gauge what type of story it is trying to be. But that said, its a promising debut and indicates a lot of storytelling ability, so I’d definitely keep an eye on this author as he hones his writing style and craft.
It’s a strong ⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer. I also want to say a humongous thank you to Thomas M. Atherton for providing a copy and giving me the chance to read and review it.
Book Information
Title(s): Silence is an Enemy
Author(s): Thomas M. Atherton
Publisher(s): Self-published
Original Publication Date: 31st October, 2020
Page Count: 239 pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): Y
Website(s): N/A
“Even Oli had taken on this dream. This pretence. A sham almost. That everything was still rosy. That everything could go back to just how it had been before. As if the crash had never happened.”
– Thomas M. Atherton, Silence is an Enemy
❌I received an e-Book of this story in exchange for a fair review!❌
I just want to preface my thoughts; I read a couple of the reviews for this book on goodreads shortly after finishing, and to be honest I share almost exactly the same sentiments as a lot of other reviewers on here.
Silence is an Enemy follows a man named Oliver Harrison, who is described as being a pretty average character overall, leading an equally unremarkable life. He meets Isobel, and the two appear to be a perfectly matched couple. One evening, after their engagement party with their mutual friends, the two are in a car crash, and Isobel is left with serious injuries. The narrative then follows Oli’s attempts to cope with the aftermath of the accident, and with the injuries Isobel suffered. It sort of proceeds as an examination of their relationship, and of Oli’s psyche, with a sprinkling of thriller elements.
I really liked the intro chapter; it was well-written and engaged me from the offset. This is followed by a section which introduces us to our narrator, who seems to be a character that knows Oli pretty intimately but is never identified themselves. Personally, I found this device and this section a little confusing – I’m not sure it was entirely necessary, and the lengthy backstory about Oli slowed the intrigue of the opening act right down.
Which brings me onto my biggest gripe and the main area for improvement in this story: the pacing. As a few of the other reviews have said, this is very much a book of two halves, the first of which really feels more like a romantic/relationship drama. I’ll admit, I didn’t have too much background information on this book going in (outside of the one review on Instagram that originally introduced me to this author), but even by the halfway mark of around 110 pages, I still wasn’t entirely sure what genre Silence is an Enemy belonged to.
As a result, the narrative moved at a pretty slow pace for the entirety of its first half, and it wasn’t until the latter third that the tempo started picking up. Unfortunately, this meant that several plot elements were introduced late in the game, and didn’t have quite enough time fully manifest before the ending. Whilst on the subject of the finale, for my taste it was left a little too open-ended. I think I can see the general idea behind the conclusion, and what the author was trying to imply with it, it just didn’t quite land for me.
However with that being said, there are a lot of positive aspects to Silence is an Enemy too. Atherton has a real talent for writing, I think that much is more than evident. His descriptions of scenes and events are in depth and vivid, and as such very easy to picture. His language is accessible but also varied, which is always a bonus. The cast of characters he creates feel genuine, and the emotional states they each go through came across as natural and sincere. I think Oli was relatable, and the way he responded to certain traumatic situations felt organic and realistic too.
All in all, I thought this was a more than competently written story, with some intriguing plot elements, developed and fleshed out characters, and is certainly worth a read. I feel like the areas for improvement are all things that will come to Atherton naturally with the more he writes, and as a debut novel, Silence is an Enemy is a solid and admirable start.
VERDICT: Overall, I think there are some areas that Silence is an Enemy excels in, and other departments that could do with a bit of tightening up. This book certainly illustrates that Atherton is an author with a hell of a lot of future potential; he clearly has a strong vocabulary pool and a knack for writing characters. Regretfully, the first half of this book does move along at a slow pace, and its quite difficult to really gauge what type of story it is trying to be. But that said, its a promising debut and indicates a lot of storytelling ability, so I’d definitely keep an eye on this author as he hones his writing style and craft.
It’s a strong ⭐⭐⭐/⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ from this reviewer. I also want to say a humongous thank you to Thomas M. Atherton for providing a copy and giving me the chance to read and review it.
Book Information
Title(s): Silence is an Enemy
Author(s): Thomas M. Atherton
Publisher(s): Self-published
Original Publication Date: 31st October, 2020
Page Count: 239 pages
Format Read: Digital
Advance Review Copy (Y/N): Y
Website(s): N/A
Peekers by Kealan Patrick Burke
4.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“I… I don’t know how to describe it. It’s not a threatening look, but I feel threatened. And the way she stands there, half-hidden, with a slight smile on her face...”
– Kealan Patrick Burke, Peekers
If you’re a reader of the horror genre, and have kept up to date with it over the past decade or so, you’ll likely be familiar with the author Kealan Patrick Burke. Over the past fifteen years, he has established himself at the forefront of the genre, and steadily become one of its most versatile and engaging talents. If you’re a horror fan but AREN’T familiar with his writing, firstly: what the heck are you playing at, read some right now, and secondly: you’re almost certainly going to have seen some of his terrific artwork under his design service, Elderlemon Design, which consistently produces fantastic book covers.
Peekers (2008) was the story that first introduced me to Burke’s stuff, and jump-started my love for anything he writes. Funnily enough, this was one of those rare cases in which I watched the adaptation prior to reading the story that it was based on. I stumbled upon it way back in my teenage years, when binge-watching horror shorts online was something of a nightly ritual for me.
Like the story itself, the film version is only short, but is certainly creepy in spite of its slight runtime. Released on YouTube in 2008, it was directed by Mark Steensland, who has since become an accomplished horror fiction author himself – his novel In The Scrape (2019), co-authored with James Newman, was one of my favourite new reads this year. It’s a very faithful adaptation – the script is more or less verbatim.
As for the written story, it is short but pretty sweet. Steensland’s film terrified me when I first watched it, all those many years ago – but I don’t feel that seeing the film version first ruined reading it for me. The way Kealan introduces Mrs. Hoffman as a so-called ‘peeker’ is incredibly chilling. This is definitely a case of trying a ‘less is more’ approach, and as a result it does feel a little underdeveloped, but nonetheless it’s a swift spooky read.
VERDICT: Peekers is an unsettling little short, whose lack of explanation or rationale for the events is both its greatest strength and biggest weakness – the simplicity of the idea is hugely creepy and bewildering in a sense, though it does leave you craving some more development or fleshing out of the concept it introduces. That said, both film and story will always hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to Burke’s writing!
It’s a ⭐⭐⭐
“I… I don’t know how to describe it. It’s not a threatening look, but I feel threatened. And the way she stands there, half-hidden, with a slight smile on her face...”
– Kealan Patrick Burke, Peekers
If you’re a reader of the horror genre, and have kept up to date with it over the past decade or so, you’ll likely be familiar with the author Kealan Patrick Burke. Over the past fifteen years, he has established himself at the forefront of the genre, and steadily become one of its most versatile and engaging talents. If you’re a horror fan but AREN’T familiar with his writing, firstly: what the heck are you playing at, read some right now, and secondly: you’re almost certainly going to have seen some of his terrific artwork under his design service, Elderlemon Design, which consistently produces fantastic book covers.
Peekers (2008) was the story that first introduced me to Burke’s stuff, and jump-started my love for anything he writes. Funnily enough, this was one of those rare cases in which I watched the adaptation prior to reading the story that it was based on. I stumbled upon it way back in my teenage years, when binge-watching horror shorts online was something of a nightly ritual for me.
Like the story itself, the film version is only short, but is certainly creepy in spite of its slight runtime. Released on YouTube in 2008, it was directed by Mark Steensland, who has since become an accomplished horror fiction author himself – his novel In The Scrape (2019), co-authored with James Newman, was one of my favourite new reads this year. It’s a very faithful adaptation – the script is more or less verbatim.
As for the written story, it is short but pretty sweet. Steensland’s film terrified me when I first watched it, all those many years ago – but I don’t feel that seeing the film version first ruined reading it for me. The way Kealan introduces Mrs. Hoffman as a so-called ‘peeker’ is incredibly chilling. This is definitely a case of trying a ‘less is more’ approach, and as a result it does feel a little underdeveloped, but nonetheless it’s a swift spooky read.
VERDICT: Peekers is an unsettling little short, whose lack of explanation or rationale for the events is both its greatest strength and biggest weakness – the simplicity of the idea is hugely creepy and bewildering in a sense, though it does leave you craving some more development or fleshing out of the concept it introduces. That said, both film and story will always hold a special place in my heart for introducing me to Burke’s writing!
It’s a ⭐⭐⭐
The Elvis Room by Pye Parr, Stephen Graham Jones
5.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“Stimulus-response, the world conforms to reason; I was a product of my lengthy education. There were no dark corners, as far as I was concerned. Just shadows we haven’t bothered to shine our lights into yet.”
– Stephen Graham Jones, The Elvis Room
Today’s story was actually a recent read for me – I only read it back in December, but Jones has fast become one of my favourite authors and I’ve made it my mission to read his entire oeuvre. He has one of the most unique authorial voices and everything I’ve read thus far has been of such a high quality. As such, I’ve been tracking down and reading as much as I can from him, slowly but surely.
Which brings me on nicely to the subject of today’s review: The Elvis Room. I read this pretty much back to back with Jones’ The Night Cyclist (2016 – another fantastic short, and one I’m sure I’ll feature soon), and loved it. Once again, this short is written in his ‘one-of-a-kind’ style, and has a really unique approach to the premise.
First things first, it’s probably worth mentioning that this is better described as a chapbook or a novelette than a short story – coming together at 44 pages, it is a fair bit longer than many of the stories that will be featured in my previous Sunday Shorts. I’ll admit, I was drawn into this one by the title, and it is so intriguing finding out how it ties into the narrative. I think I actually heard about this when it was released, way back when I was still in university, but I never got around to reading it at the time.
The plot concerns a self-confessed ‘mad’ ex-scientist, who goes to increasingly extreme lengths to prove the existence of an afterlife and the supernatural. To divulge too much more would spoil the plot, but suffice it to say, he gets more than he bargained for. What follows is an engaging and sincerely blood-curdling tale of otherworldly encounters. There is a palpable sense of dread throughout, and the tension ramps up incrementally; right up until it inevitably boils over.
The one slight gripe I have is that sometimes the wording and choice of language Jones’ employs is a tad overbearing. I think maybe this was a conscious decision – perhaps to illustrate the academic background of the protagonist – but it did sometimes work against the flow of the story, I felt. However, this was only an issue a handful of times – in most instances, as the quote above shows, Jones’ language can be beautifully effective.
The ending is absolutely brilliant, as well. I do sometimes find with shorter fiction that the conclusion can be a bit underwhelming, or a little too abstract and confusing. Not so, with The Elvis Room – it really has a perfect ending – genuinely terrifying, and somewhat ambiguous in the best kind of way. In a lot of ways, the finale (and indeed the story in its entirety) was very reminiscent of a classic Victorian ghost story – evoking, in my eyes, the plotting of greats like Algernon Blackwood, Henry James or M. R. James.
VERDICT: A truly chilling little slice of ghostly goodness, The Elvis Room is a highly original short with a wildly inventive premise. Although occasionally the language obfuscates things somewhat, this is a stellar story that is both evocative of the classic greats and entirely fresh and unique. Stephen Graham Jones continues to dazzle and amaze with whatever he writes.
It’s a highly deserved ⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Stimulus-response, the world conforms to reason; I was a product of my lengthy education. There were no dark corners, as far as I was concerned. Just shadows we haven’t bothered to shine our lights into yet.”
– Stephen Graham Jones, The Elvis Room
Today’s story was actually a recent read for me – I only read it back in December, but Jones has fast become one of my favourite authors and I’ve made it my mission to read his entire oeuvre. He has one of the most unique authorial voices and everything I’ve read thus far has been of such a high quality. As such, I’ve been tracking down and reading as much as I can from him, slowly but surely.
Which brings me on nicely to the subject of today’s review: The Elvis Room. I read this pretty much back to back with Jones’ The Night Cyclist (2016 – another fantastic short, and one I’m sure I’ll feature soon), and loved it. Once again, this short is written in his ‘one-of-a-kind’ style, and has a really unique approach to the premise.
First things first, it’s probably worth mentioning that this is better described as a chapbook or a novelette than a short story – coming together at 44 pages, it is a fair bit longer than many of the stories that will be featured in my previous Sunday Shorts. I’ll admit, I was drawn into this one by the title, and it is so intriguing finding out how it ties into the narrative. I think I actually heard about this when it was released, way back when I was still in university, but I never got around to reading it at the time.
The plot concerns a self-confessed ‘mad’ ex-scientist, who goes to increasingly extreme lengths to prove the existence of an afterlife and the supernatural. To divulge too much more would spoil the plot, but suffice it to say, he gets more than he bargained for. What follows is an engaging and sincerely blood-curdling tale of otherworldly encounters. There is a palpable sense of dread throughout, and the tension ramps up incrementally; right up until it inevitably boils over.
The one slight gripe I have is that sometimes the wording and choice of language Jones’ employs is a tad overbearing. I think maybe this was a conscious decision – perhaps to illustrate the academic background of the protagonist – but it did sometimes work against the flow of the story, I felt. However, this was only an issue a handful of times – in most instances, as the quote above shows, Jones’ language can be beautifully effective.
The ending is absolutely brilliant, as well. I do sometimes find with shorter fiction that the conclusion can be a bit underwhelming, or a little too abstract and confusing. Not so, with The Elvis Room – it really has a perfect ending – genuinely terrifying, and somewhat ambiguous in the best kind of way. In a lot of ways, the finale (and indeed the story in its entirety) was very reminiscent of a classic Victorian ghost story – evoking, in my eyes, the plotting of greats like Algernon Blackwood, Henry James or M. R. James.
VERDICT: A truly chilling little slice of ghostly goodness, The Elvis Room is a highly original short with a wildly inventive premise. Although occasionally the language obfuscates things somewhat, this is a stellar story that is both evocative of the classic greats and entirely fresh and unique. Stephen Graham Jones continues to dazzle and amaze with whatever he writes.
It’s a highly deserved ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Come Forth in Thaw: A Dark Fantasy Horror Novella about Trauma and Mental Illness by Jayson Robert Ducharme
5.0
Originally posted over at my personal blog site, Night Terror Novels
“These, the things the dead leave behind.”
– Jayson Robert Ducharme, Come Forth in Thaw
“These, the things the dead leave behind.”
– Jayson Robert Ducharme, Come Forth in Thaw