BROKEN SHELLS Review

Review:

Release Date: 02.06.18

 

This story’s ending is what earned it the fifth star. What can I say, I’m a bleak guy, and this is a bleak story. Without diving into spoilers, I think this story could have gone one of two ways . . . And Michael Hicks chose the courageous way. He went where the story commanded. And I applaud him! That final chapter – shivers.

 

Broken Shells, the upcoming horror novella from Hicks, is a creature feature of the best sort. All kinds of gooshy, nasty bugs are present and accounted for; to make a pun, Hicks preys on the fear of insects. Me, I don’t mind bugs so much . . . But I am very claustrophobic. This story did get me there. A large portion of this story involves the main character being trapped and having to escape; I was on the brink of an anxiety attack while reading. That’s how I know this author did his job.

 

This is a fun, scary read, and it is easily conquerable in a sit or two. Highly recommended! Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

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TALES FROM GREYSTONE BAY Review

Review:

I suspect this little collection of stories will fly under the radar (the fact that it has no reviews on Goodreads as of now is a good indicator), which is a shame, as these three short tales set in the small town of Greystone Bay show McCammon working at his usual standard of excellence.

 

The first story, “The Red House,” is the longest and serves as the inspiration for the cover art. It reminded me of this author’s seminal work, Boy’s Life, because it is about a man looking back on his childhood and strange incidents that occurred therein. The metaphors in this one might be a little too heavy-handed for some readers, but I didn’t mind. The second story, “Doom City,” is my favorite. An apocalypse . . . or the Rapture . . . has happened. McCammon is never clear on it because the survivors don’t know. I like that — the reader’s imagination is allowed to go wild. The final story, “Beauty,” is one best left unspoiled, but I will say it is perhaps the saddest piece I’ve read by this author.

 

I was pleasantly surprised by this collection. It was an impulse buy, for sure, and I wasn’t expecting to finish it feeling so rewarded. In addition to the three stories, this book features a few beautiful illustrations. If you’re feeling impatient waiting for The Listener, give this a go. Out now from Cemetery Dance!

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THE TERROR Review

Review:

Dan Simmons’s 2007 epic horror novel, The Terror, is the finest work of his I’ve read yet. A historical fiction, this long story documents the failed 1845 Franklin Expedition.

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a horror novel of this stature. I’ve read a lot of short, grisly stuff lately, so it was nice to kick back with something by Simmons: he who is known for painstakingly detailed, complex narratives. This one challenged me — especially some bits toward the end — and I liked that.

 

Told in alternating perspectives from several crew members on the two icebound ships, the pace never really relents and Simmons is able to keep the story interesting. I always wanted to know what happened next. And, without my realizing, a large and complex world had been created, one filled with men I truly cared about and wanted to see live . . . but we all know how the Franklin Expedition went. Part of the horror in this novel comes from the inevitable: we know these men will die; it’s a matter of timing and circumstance. Simmons handles his large cast of characters with a deft, skilled hand, and he makes each death meaningful, heartbreaking.

 

I was afraid I wouldn’t like The Terror; I thought I might get bogged down or bored. But I didn’t. I really enjoyed myself! And now I can’t wait for the television adaptation.

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THE LISTENER Review

Review:

“What’re you planning on doin’ with your share?”
“‘Raisin’ hell,’ said Donnie . . . ‘What else is there?’”

 

After decades in the writing business, Robert McCammon proves he still has tricks up his sleeve and isn’t content to stick with any one genre. In The Listener, McCammon’s first crime thriller, a mastery of the language is on display that can come from only a seasoned veteran. Set in 1934 New Orleans, this gritty, high-octane tale of a kidnapping — with healthy doses of the supernatural — and murder is among this writer’s strongest; not a word is wasted. As always, McCammon is firing on all cylinders, not content with resting on his laurels.

 

In addition to the cinematic and enthralling plotline is some of this author’s finest character work: one can root wholeheartedly for the protagonists and empathize with the villains. As is commonplace in McCammon’s many works, these characters are fully-fleshed creations, original and memorable people drawn in full color. It is through these characters McCammon touches on themes such as poverty, wealth inequality, racism, belonging . . . universal themes as relevant today as they were in the Great Depression. It is against this backdrop of desperation and anxiety these folks shine bright.

 

It has been some time since a new release has excited me this much. Get ready: the first must-read novel of 2018 will arrive next month. I couldn’t put it down, nor did I want to. Recommended to all readers.

 

Thanks to Richard Chizmar at Cemetary Dance for the ARC. You rock! 

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SAVAGING THE DARK Review

Review:

It’s been a while since I finished a book feeling this drained, broken. Maybe the last time was Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door. At the center of both is the relentless mental and physical abuse of a child at the hands of an adult. In Ketchum’s infamous novel, the abuse is born of hate. In Conlon’s work it is of love . . . twisted love, anyway. A junior high English teacher has fallen for one of her students — and it quickly spirals out of control.

 

Consensual sex in my reading does not bother me. Rape, however, does. Especially child rape. This book has child rape in spades. I’m petty tough to horrify, and this one had me almost seething with anger. But that’s a sign of a successful horror novel: the reader is left uncomfortable.

 

Christopher Conlon is now on my radar and I will check out his other books. While this book’s subject matter is very sensitive, a horror story that gets under my skin in this way is a rare find. I feel like I need a bath.

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OUR SOULS AT NIGHT Review

Review:

This book is not for me. I am in my early twenties and have never been married — nor do I plan to take that leap. I have never been in an long-term, committed relationship. I have never felt that sort of romantic love, that connection, nor have I felt the loss that often accompanies it.

 

Kent Haruf’s final published work, a novella (despite the cover’s insistence that this is a novel) is about two elderly neighbors, Louis and Addie, who develop a friendship after losing both of their spouses. Their tales unfold; they have been neighbors for decades but have never been too close. This is a rumination on ageism, death, love, family . . . all that good stuff. But it’s just not for me. I’m not ‘there’ yet. I can admit that. Speaking objectively, this is probably fine (though the overly simplistic writing style did wear on me after a while), but I couldn’t connect to these characters in any way.

 

If you are looking for a quick, poetic, and occasionally beautiful read, you could do much worse. I know this received rave reviews from critics and several of my friends loved it, too. But said friends are all older and, for the most part, married. As for me, Our Souls At Night felt rather anemic.

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BREATHLESS Review

This book begins in the woods. An ex-Army guy is out for a stroll when he sees something strange, life-changing: two creatures that look like dogs, but with human hands. They seemed to have escaped from a lab, or something. From there unfolds a tale of massive government conspiracy and permanent changes in the natural order of things.

 

Oh, sorry. If you thought I was describing Dean Koontz’s 1987 blockbuster hit, Watchers, you’d be wrong. It is in fact the setup of his 2009 non-hit, Breathless. Because apparently two decades is long enough before devolving into this level of self-imitation.

 

The title of this book is fitting. The sheer stupidity of the plot and characters did indeed leave me breathless . . . from laughing so hard. First off, this book has like six subplots going on, and it’s only 330 pages. The font is massive, the chapters are James Patterson-level short . . . and most of these characters don’t even meet each other. Seriously. There are two plot lines in this that have nothing to do with each other or the unfolding ‘main’ story, but they’re given almost as much attention. The hell, Koontz? And almost every thread is left dangling because the narrative ends more abruptly and with more force than the time I slammed my Honda Civic into a ditch and flipped it through a wood-log fence. On the whole, I preferred the experience of that car wreck to reading this steaming pile of dog crap.

 

Speaking of dogs . . . what is with the fetishization of dogs? It’s common knowledge Koontz has a weird thing for furry friends, but this book takes it to another level. Not only are the two dogs-slash-people-slash-monkey (Alex Jones, is that you?) prevalent here — their origins never being explained, by the way — but the main character also has a dog. Yay. By the story’s end there’s a half-baked love interest between the ex-Army, muscle man (oh he’s so tough and dreamy and emotional while not emotional at all!!! Squeeee!!!!!) and the local veterinarian, but I’m pretty sure the dude would rather be slipping it to Fido. That would’ve made for a better read than whatever the hell this is.

 

I can’t. I just can’t. What did I just read? I feel like I’m having an aneurism. And that isn’t even touching Koontz’s explanation for why the theory of evolution is completely and totally bunk. But I won’t go there. I can’t. I’d prefer not to put a bullet in my head, tyvm.

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THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW Review

Review:

”Mind was in matter, always. That was the revelation of Quiddity. The sea was the crossroads, and from it all possibilities sprang. Before everything, Quiddity. Before life, the dream of life. Before the thing solid, the solid thing dreamt. And mind, dreaming or awake, knew justice, which was therefore as natural as matter, its absence in any exchange deserving of more than a fatalistic shrug.”

 

Behind everything — all of life and non-life — is Quiddity: a metaphysical dream-sea, a sort of collective consciousness that is accessible only thrice in life. Those moments are just after birth, while lying after sex for the first time with one’s true love, and, finally, after death. To access it is nearly impossible, divine; it is the Art. If that sounds heady and über philosophical, especially a dark fantasy/horror novel, it is. And in a lesser author’s hands it would fall apart; this is Clive Barker, however, so 1989’s The Great and Secret Show is a masterwork.

 

At the heart of this novel is a war between two former acquaintances-turned-enemies: one wants to access the Quiddity, to swim that water and know its secrets; the other wants to protect it at all costs. From there spins out a tale of demonic possession and romance; incest and the apocalypse; the shallow face of West Hollywood cracking while a hole is ripped in the universe, exposing what lies beyond the only thing the human mind can comprehend: the carefully balanced façade of modern living.

 

This is a weird novel, and I loved every moment. I picked it up last night and couldn’t put it down. That’s almost seven-hundred pages read in forty-eight hours. Barker is an author whose prose I love to nibble on, suckle at, mull over. But I couldn’t put this book down. By combining the grotesque and fantastical, this novel is a titillating mashup of genres and ideas, all tied together with the confidence of a legendary myth maker.

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GIOVANNI’S ROOM Review

Review:

Giovanni’s Room, James Baldwin’s controversial second novel, is a clenched fist, a bucket of sour grapes, a weeping work of art. A compact little tale of societal alienation and forbidden love (and lust), time has not dimmed its lights or smoothed its edges. Not one iota.

 

Baldwin’s most well-known work is sensual and thrilling and tragic; I closed my paperback edition with tears in my eyes. The tale of Giovanni and Butch is universal, yet special, shimmering; it is the Romeo and Juliet for gays. What should be humdrum — pining for one’s love, an affair, adventures in a new city — is rendered fresh in this author’s hands.

 

Oft considered one of the finest LGBTQ novels, this is a groundbreaking, rambunctious work that was far ahead of its time. Its lessons should be considered and remembered in the current year, as a matter of fact. I have left that room, but I am grateful for the short visit.

 

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JACK HOLMES AND HIS FRIEND Review

Review:

I was not aware of this book or author until a few weeks ago. I, by chance, came across a John Irving interview in which he recommended a few novels — Jack Holmes and His Friend among them. I decided to take a chance.

 

White’s narrative of unrequited love and coming of age in the Big Apple is as poignant and elegant as any I’ve read; Jack and Will’s friendship is one of real density and weight, and is sure to break the reader’s heart before putting it back together again.

 

White seems to have a talent for writing the electricity that exists in human contact — contact between males, especially. These characters, perilously perched on the precipice of chaos, are real and whole and angst-ridden and filled with real desires for real love, real safety. This one hurt, as it spoke to where I’m at now.

 

I already have several of White’s earlier novels coming in the mail and will read them soon.

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