Finished 6 in October.
1. Limelight was a collection of speculative fiction stories by Lyndsey Croal. This collection was the first thing I’ve read from Croal and I was very impressed with the stories. Some of the themes were repetitive, but for the most part the stories were so interesting and well paced that the repetition in plot lines wasn’t a bother. The stories being on the shorter side also helped. Definitely an author I will be reading more of in the future. 4 / 5
2. Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham. Another first time author for me. Three friends travel to the home of the deceased author of their favorite childhood book, only to find out the story and its author are not what / who they thought them to be. I ended up liking WH a good bit, though I did find the first third to be rather slow (IMO the first 90 pages could have been told in 40) & the human characters, other than the lead, who does undergo some character growth throughout the story, were all very one dimensional. The creature characters were much more interesting than their human counterparts. The story picks up at about the 100 page mark. If the Deadliest Game had been set in Alice of Wonderland is the best description I can come up with for WH. 4 / 5
3. Eynhallow by Tim McGregor was also a new author for me. The title takes its name from a desolated island in the Orkney islands chain north of Scotland were Victor Frankenstein goes to create the mate he promised to his original creation. On the island he meets and engages in a relationship with a dissolutioned younger woman. Interesting characters, a well paced plot, and answering one of the questions from a classic work of horror fiction made for a very interesting story. McGregor is another author whose work I need to seek out more of. 4.5 / 5
4. Creature From the Black Lagoon by Vargo Statten (pseudonym) was a mixed bag. The introduction by David Schow into the history of the film was very interesting, and there are a lot of behind the scenes photos on the making of the film. Plus, my copy was signed by the lovely Julie Adams. As for the novelization its self, it was pretty bad, but you know what you’re getting into with a 1950’s creature feature novelization. 3 / 5
5. Shooting Star was Joe Lansdale’s take on the 1950’s black & white alien invasion movies. A fun, quick read told in Lansdale’s irreverent storytelling style. 3.5 / 5
6. Isis by Douglas Clegg. Two siblings, a sister and brother, grow up in an English manor surrounded by the old legends of the region. In a tragic accident, the brother is killed and the sister is badly injured, but changed, and she uses these changes and the old legends to try and resurrect her dead brother. I liked this one a lot. Had a definite Pet Sematary vibe to it. 4 / 5
B
1. Limelight was a collection of speculative fiction stories by Lyndsey Croal. This collection was the first thing I’ve read from Croal and I was very impressed with the stories. Some of the themes were repetitive, but for the most part the stories were so interesting and well paced that the repetition in plot lines wasn’t a bother. The stories being on the shorter side also helped. Definitely an author I will be reading more of in the future. 4 / 5
2. Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham. Another first time author for me. Three friends travel to the home of the deceased author of their favorite childhood book, only to find out the story and its author are not what / who they thought them to be. I ended up liking WH a good bit, though I did find the first third to be rather slow (IMO the first 90 pages could have been told in 40) & the human characters, other than the lead, who does undergo some character growth throughout the story, were all very one dimensional. The creature characters were much more interesting than their human counterparts. The story picks up at about the 100 page mark. If the Deadliest Game had been set in Alice of Wonderland is the best description I can come up with for WH. 4 / 5
3. Eynhallow by Tim McGregor was also a new author for me. The title takes its name from a desolated island in the Orkney islands chain north of Scotland were Victor Frankenstein goes to create the mate he promised to his original creation. On the island he meets and engages in a relationship with a dissolutioned younger woman. Interesting characters, a well paced plot, and answering one of the questions from a classic work of horror fiction made for a very interesting story. McGregor is another author whose work I need to seek out more of. 4.5 / 5
4. Creature From the Black Lagoon by Vargo Statten (pseudonym) was a mixed bag. The introduction by David Schow into the history of the film was very interesting, and there are a lot of behind the scenes photos on the making of the film. Plus, my copy was signed by the lovely Julie Adams. As for the novelization its self, it was pretty bad, but you know what you’re getting into with a 1950’s creature feature novelization. 3 / 5
5. Shooting Star was Joe Lansdale’s take on the 1950’s black & white alien invasion movies. A fun, quick read told in Lansdale’s irreverent storytelling style. 3.5 / 5
6. Isis by Douglas Clegg. Two siblings, a sister and brother, grow up in an English manor surrounded by the old legends of the region. In a tragic accident, the brother is killed and the sister is badly injured, but changed, and she uses these changes and the old legends to try and resurrect her dead brother. I liked this one a lot. Had a definite Pet Sematary vibe to it. 4 / 5
B