Book Reviews

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Maplecroft – Cherie Priest

“And if there are gods after all, perhaps we should not struggle so hard to get their attention, if this is the attention they would lavish upon us.”

The Lizzie Borden murders shocked the world, and now we get the real scoop on what happened. Yes, madness was present, and yes, as we suspected Lizzie was involved, but the story is much deeper. It turns out, in fact, that Lizzie was in the process of saving the world from oceanic Lovecraftian monsters, wielding her axe as a warrior for good. Emma, her live-in sister and Owen, a neighboring doctor, assist in the fight. While a few other characters are involved the story remains tightly concentrated on the small group in the Borden household. A few attempts are made to reach out for help, but the story being so fantastic that no one would believe it mixed with the characters’ own doubts means our heroes are mostly on their own.

In homage to Lovecraft, besides the horrific characteristics of the humanoid monsters, dread is also built on the unknown. The characters have no clear idea of what they’re up against and figuring it out involves questioning their own sanity. Since each monster was previously human the sisters’ sanity was pushed to the brink right at the outset, before the story even started, as we learn of the trauma Lizzie went through dispatching the very first of them–her parents.

There are many aspects of this work to love, but perhaps the most surprising is the successful melding of Lovecraftian dread and breakneck pacing. The first 100 pages or so turn much like a normal, good book, but the next few hundred fly by in a rush of action and horror. It’s not an action movie hail of bullets and monsters but somehow the author makes it seem so for most of the book, which is a special contrast considering the building dread. One might have believed the two forces of building dread and action to be mutually exclusive.

William Schafer of Subterranean Press has written an editorial on his site praising this work. This wasn’t self-promotion, as he’s apparently not working on any edition of the book, but rather an appreciation he wanted to share. Part of the editorial consisted of quotes and further praise from authors such as Chuck Wendig and Kealan Patrick Burke. This may already be more than enough to check out a writer whom you have yet to read, but in the e-book another name will be noticed in the first couple of pages: Joe R. Lansdale, the king of pacing himself, also loves the author’s work.

This is good stuff, ladies and gentlemen, and it’s interesting how an author combines creeping dread with frenetic pacing.

4 stars

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Thanks Sock Monkey, and sorry about that! Marduk led me down the extremely expensive Abercrombie path, and RJ got me to read I'm Not Sam, which caused me to pick that up as well as a signed Peaceable Kingdom. Terry, a fellow J. Carroll fan, mentioned Land of Laughs, which I then read and was excellent and Centipede will do a version, the list goes on. When I'm forced into living in a public park I'll build a small lean-to with books.

Thanks to the readers and those reviewing! It's one hell of a ride following these stories straight down into poverty.

[Sock Monkey]

Dear All Who Review:

This is Sock Monkey's wallet. I am taking the time to write to all of you (and believe me, it takes time; billfolds have no arms, hands or fingers so typing is not the easiest thing to do for my kind) to ask you to please stop posting these awesome reviews. While I'm sure that my owner (though I prefer the term "Wallet Care Specialist", but I digress) and many others on the forum appreciate your well thought out and carefully constructed critiques on the books you read, it has led my owner to continue to add books to his want list. Now this might be fine for some other billfolds who could handle the added stress. I, on the other hand, have never been what one would call "flush" nor even "pleasantly plump". With all the books that my owner keeps wanting to purchase after reading your reviews, I am approaching Christian-Bale-in-The-Machinist-type levels. It's just not healthy. Now I understand that it's a free world, but whenever you' re about push that "Post" button, please just take a moment and think of me and all the other billfolds just like me...

Sincerely,
Sock Monkey's Wallet

(All joking aside, I have been enjoying all the reviews posted on here and I think that this thread was a great idea. Thanks for taking the time to post them. Maybe if I can ever find the time myself, I'll post a couple.)

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Shift – Hugh Howey
"It was supposed to be people who died and cultures that lasted. Now it was the other way around."

Prequel to the best-selling Wool and containing a few of the same characters, in Shift Howey charges himself with reasoning how and why the world ended. Despite the majority of the action happening within the silos, Shift is a much different book than Wool.

Shift begins on Earth much as we know it now, advanced beyond what we’re reported today, but probably not much advanced over what we’re not reported today. Medical science has taken to using miniature robots, nanos, for organ and tissue repair. And of course, if some humans are using them to repair, others are using them to tear down. Deployed on a massive scale you have the equivalent of world wide nuclear war. The surface is uninhabitable, setting the stage for Wool.

As seems to be the case everywhere, atrocities on grand scales are always caused by madmen in power. Atrocities on smaller scales are caused by madmen in less power. If Wool was about war, then Shift is about politics and human psychology, both indivisible from war. Wool contains righteous anger, sometimes on both sides of the battle, whereas Shift contains sadness, with characters focusing on how hopeless our situation is and which drives the plot forward.

Having read Shift it’s easy to get the feeling things may end differently than what may have been predicted after reading Wool. It might all turn out OK, but with the final book in the trilogy entitled Dust, turning out OK is not necessarily in the cards.

Shift is an enjoyable read and a different beast than its predecessor despite the similar silo setting. We can hope for blue skies for the human race, but chances are diminishing.

From the dedication: “To those who find themselves well and truly alone.”

3(+) stars

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The Lesser Key of Solomon – (author: heh)

“Inform, repleat, instruct, restore, correct, and refine me, that I may be made new in the understanding of thy Precepts, and in receiving the Sciences which are profitable for my Soul and Body, and for all faithful believers in the Name which is blessed forever, world without end.”

Edited by Joseph H. Peterson this particular edition, arrived at through no small amount of research, consists of five books. Some versions of the Lesser Key of Solomon contain only the first book, the Goetia:

Of the Arte Goetia (this is the book that scares everyone, and when anyone refers to The Lesser Key of Solomon they are undoubtedly referring to this book – command of the infernal)

The Art Theurgia Goetia (command of both good and evil spirits for informational / mobility purposes)

The Art Pauline of King Salomon (command of angels in relation to the planets / zodiac)

Salomon’s Almadel Art (command of angels in relation to material goods / riches / fertility)

Ars Notoria: The Notary Art of Salomon (arts of prayer relating to knowledge / memory)

Solomon, the biblical King Solomon, is supposedly the originator of the contents though not the author. Hundreds of years ago that idea was popularly debunked, and it was decided the text is far more recent than Solomon. The book may have originated in the 1700s or the 1400s (or also, from King Solomon ~1000 B.C.)

A quick story*: The beginning of Solomon’s powers came when his favored boy, possibly a student but more likely a lover, complained to Solomon that a demon was visiting him and slowly sucking his life force out through his thumb when he slept. Solomon watched the boy’s decline and eventually made an appeal to Heaven. The angel Michael appeared and gave Solomon a ring on which was engraved a symbol, later to be known as the Seal of Solomon. Michael instructed Solomon to wear the ring in the demon’s presence which would allow him to command the spirit.

Solomon gave the ring to the boy. When next the demon visited, the boy hurled the ring at the demon and Solomon’s seal was imprinted on the spirit. Solomon commanded the beholden demon to take the ring and imprint his master Beelzebub, sometimes referred to as Satan himself but other times as an overlord of Hell answerable to Satan. Either way, the demon was forced to obey; Beelzebub was imprinted and was henceforth answerable to Solomon who in effect now controlled all the demons under Beelzebub through the demon king.
*based on Testament of Solomon

Lemegeton Clavicula Salominus, or The Lesser Key of Solomon, is exactly what you’ve heard. This is the blackest, darkest of the grimoires in existence, as its study potentially bears out. Not because what you will read is so depraved, disgusting or inhuman, but because the proper performance of the rituals within taps that kind of power–demonic power. This book is all about the calling up and dominating of spirits, the most frightening being the infernal, though angels will kill you just as quickly. Properly summoned and controlled the practitioner may have his wishes fulfilled.

While it could be viewed as a kind of workbook, this is not an instruction manual. You cannot read step one, perform it, more to step two, perform and so on. Prior to performing any rituals a person would need to understand the work thoroughly and be familiar with and undaunted by constant flipping around referencing many parts at the same time. It would take a ton of painstaking preparation and is not something to try on a weekend with friends at the cabin.

Containing many seals and sigils, signs and portents, most of the book is lists of demons and other spirits, the realms over which these spirits have power, their corresponding marks, and verbiage with which to interact throughout a summoning. There are many warnings to do everything slowly and properly, at the correct time of day depending on who is being summoned and why, and what to wear, what to eat, which substances to make what props out of, etc. What is not present is what to do upon a successful summoning gone awry–that’s for horror writers and the damned.

Solomon’s Keys and other grimoires are important to our authors for at least a couple of reasons.

First, some of us have read them and can tell when things are being faked or falsely attributed. We see a lot of this in the Urban Fantasy genre, and it is a little disgusting when some authors try and meld historical data such as these grimoires with their stories, ignoring everything that’s contained within the books they’re currently misusing. That’s sometimes the case but to shout out an author here, Tom Piccirilli, you know your stuff. It shows, and we appreciate it. With great stories come great responsibilities.

Second, grimoires lend credence to an author’s voice. Not so much avoiding misuse of the works, but confidently speaking from a knowledgeable position lends that ring of truth to the words. We question less and can suspend disbelief much more easily when the author speaks confidently and with authority.

This book is as dry as a textbook because it basically is a textbook. It’s not recommend at all unless you are an author looking for authenticity, a serious horror fan who wants to dive into some of the origins of the great tales, or a true believer looking to further your study. For the readers, those who take a look at books such as these are in for some surprises which shouldn’t be spoiled.

One of four things can happen by reading and employing this work as it was meant:

1. Nothing
2. You learn things
3. You are granted unlimited cosmic power
4. You’re ripped to shreds and dragged off to Hell

Because there is no Necronomicon, The Lesser Key of Solomon is, by far, referenced more than any other grimoire read about or seen in movies.

Rating depends entirely on what you’re reading it for.

2 stars

*You may make fun of the beliefs surrounding the work, but you must recognize them for what they are: beliefs. Some people, somewhere along the line put stock in this, and anyone tempted to ridicule should first consider the modern, and proven, placebo effect. The human mind is not even close to understood and further complicating things, quantum mechanics reveals a surprising level of unpredictability in the physical building blocks of the universe. Judge not, lest ye be judged.

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The Case of Charles Dexter Ward – H.P. Lovecraft
“. . . do not calle up That which you can not put downe”

Dependent upon your specific definition, this is the only novel written by Lovecraft. His other works of some length beyond short stories do not reach the word count of this tale and are generally considered novellas.

Charles Ward, born into prosperity, dives deeply into the occult world attempting to uncover information about his ancestor Curwen, a long-dead wizard prosecuted and killed in Salem with whom Charles shares an uncanny physical resemblance. The townspeople grow increasingly alarmed and force Charles into an asylum while his doctor attempts to uncover the circumstances surrounding Charles’ supposed madness.

Many mystery elements are present in the story, and much of the plot is driven through questions the characters are asking themselves or from interpretations of intercepted letters meant for one of the occultists. Lovecraft exhibits a high degree of familiarity with the arcane here, and it comes off completely natural.

There is no shortage of the horror Lovecraft is known for. Mostly of a slow-burning, creeping kind, there are no boisterous shocks to keep the audience frightened. There is, however, one particularly memorable scene where the horror is realized in a much more literal way, though with none of the blood and guts, torture or dismemberment prevalent today. All told we’re invited to follow along if we can, and in doing so experience the same dread the characters are.

Lovecraft is an acquired taste. Many of us are probably constantly reading comments about how bad his writing was. These comments would be originating from a lack of experience with the obfuscating style and incorrect that the style in itself is poor. While the author’s stories can sometimes leave us sitting there blinking after finishing, wondering why we bothered, a bit of experience with him can put those days behind us. Nearly everyone loves riding a jet ski for the first time, but not everyone feels the same about surfing. One is extremely approachable to just about all, and the other takes a great deal of patience and practice to unlock the mysteries.

Published posthumously, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward is a fairly complex, maddening horror story of the occult. It’s tough to recommend to those yet uninitiated or unaccustomed to the world of Lovecraft, but for those who have come up against Lovecraft’s wall and have pushed through: you’re going to love it.

4 stars


*version contained in the Centipede Press Library of Weird Fiction

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Tortured Souls: The Legend of Primordium – Clive Barker
"This was my father you just murdered!"
"Yes. I see the resemblance."

Originally published as 6 very short short stories, Tortured Souls was written to back up a line of 6 toys Barker released. These backstories helped fill out the characters of his toys and work together surprisingly well considering their origins.

Agonistes, a creature created by God and answerable to no one but, transforms willing people into powerful monstrosities for various reasons but mostly to facilitate the individual’s revenge of some sort. The transformation is akin to torture where many of the willing ‘supplicants’ beg for death before the process is complete. In history Agonistes has granted only one such reprieve–to Judas Iscariot.

This collection follows a hired assassin who after a mission is convinced by his victim’s daughter to undergo the transition and cleanse the corrupt city. Kreiger, after returning from the change, dispatches the entire city’s ruling population in a single night. The rest of the book details the relationship between the daughter, who undergoes the change herself, and the assassin, as well as the political fallout after the ruling elite are no more.

Far better than expected the narrative is straight through the six stories, contains Barker’s trademark unapologetic and visceral gore, and is a very enjoyable but extremely short read.

4 stars

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Everyone Loves Clowns and Other Tales – Thomas Cranham
“Because outside the walls the monster (no dragon but pain) had arrived and it struck the barrier with tooth and claw, fire and fist, and little Emily’s defender, her knight was nowhere to be seen.”

Consisting of six dark tales and a novella and written by one of the CD forum’s very own, this book covers a variety of horror.

The two top stories deserve some special attention:

The book’s opener, “Oh To Be Alive,” deals with zombies. This can be a very bad thing. The zombie sub-genre has been butchered beyond what you’d think reparable and many have largely written it off in favor of other horror, a position a story like this can cause you to rethink. Told from the perspective of an intelligent zombie we follow Henry Waterford as he navigates a landscape where the undead are born a few minutes after peoples’ deaths. It has a voice, it tackles societal issues in the tradition of Romero’s first Dawn of the Dead, and evokes some of the prejudices shown more recently in District 9. It’s a story that challenges our lifestyles, our outlooks and our discriminations, and has the power to spark debate. These types of stories get us thinking, and with enough of us thinking we just might make it out of life alive.

Most important is the final tale of the book. The title novella, Everyone Loves Clowns, is magic. Barely 5 years old, a girl’s life is in jeopardy battling cancer. An imaginative young Emily is nearly alone in her world of books, beholden to a teacher who resents Emily’s mental prowess, and largely ignored by her classmates until the circus comes to town. After attending Emily is convinced the clowns are eating her peers as she deteriorates from her illness. The author weaves a tale of fancy and horror detailing Emily’s perspective, and a heartrending relationship develops between Emily (the Princess) and her ridiculed classmate Jasper (the Knight) as the clowns, the other classmates, the teacher and the disease are battled. Stories like this are good reasons to read in the first place.

Well done, Mr. Cranham.

4 stars

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[TerryE]

I really wanted to get that Faerie Tales, but it's really out of my budget. Looks as great as I expected.

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The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains – Neil Gaiman
“If you walk the path, eventually you must arrive at the cave.”

A small man, half-human, enlists the help of a gruff mountain-dweller to guide him as they embark on a journey to a fabled cave in the mountains rumored to contain limitless gold.

Told in a fairy-tale style, most of the 30-page story concerns the journey to the cave, the warnings along the way, and the interaction between the two men. The reader is eventually shown why the journey is undertaken by both.

Gaiman, as usual, employs his hypnotic voice to keep you glued to the page. There’s not really enough time to get attached to character, but that rarely happens in fairy-tales anyway. The story’s engaging and interesting but not fun. It hints at a larger understanding but contains no epiphany.

What you get here is a short journey of discovery, a mystery that becomes partially solved, a little revenge, and expert storytelling by one of the greats.

3 stars

*This review is written from the story’s original appearance in the anthology, Stories: All-New Tales, not the new, standalone book. The review is intended for those who haven’t read it and may be considering the standalone, of which there is a hardcover as well as a $75 limited edition offered earlier this week. I have read that the artwork for the standalone release is extensive, and that the upcoming limited edition also includes a CD of the music composed for a 2010 live reading of the piece.

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Thanks guys, it's a stunner, no doubt. A buddy of mine is an amateur photographer who might help me capture this one in more detail. There's a ton of art inside, but most of it is more classical. I'll post them somewhere around here if I end up getting a bunch of high-quality pics.

[RJK1981]

I agree, that is a gorgeous looking book. The price is too high for me though. I suppose there is a copy on eBay for $75, but that one doesn't have the limitation page and isn't signed.

I do have a large PB copy of that book that I found at Half-Price Books a couple years ago or so that I still need to read

[marduk]

The Monk – Matthew Gregory Lewis
“Though I forgive your breaking your vows to heaven, I expect you to keep your vows to me.”

Well over 200 years old, The Monk details the fall of the most pious man the world knows. Ambrosia, the hero-monk, the sinless man of God revered above all others is softened by pride, seduced from his purity, mired in lust and murder as his appetites grow and Lucifer closes in.

Significant for many reasons, The Monk is considered one of the earlier gothic tales, beating out Dracula and Jekyll and Hyde by a hundred years, and Frankenstein by decades. It also has the distinction of its main villain being a devoutly religious man. Sorcery has a strong presence, and while much of the plot is made possible by it, it is still a background element. At the forefront of this tale is black-and-white morality, for once started down the path Ambrosia’s decisions propel him toward damnation.

As you might expect reading a book of this age comes with a few caveats, including a slight language barrier and the impression stories were just told a little differently in that time, expecting readers to have a sense of patience while building towards the payoff, which is certainly there. I felt confused a few times throughout the book when some characters are dealt with, and it doesn’t help that many of them have at least two names. However, this minor confusion is at last revealed as important and even intentional as certain details come to light at the end of the tale.

This is not Lansdale, where you sit down and read cover-to-cover as fast as you can. It is a ponderous journey, and a look into a time when religion was an even greater part of life than it is today. And this, depending on your interpretation, is not presented as a particularly positive thing. Zealots have always existed, will always exist as long as mankind persists, and religion magnifies and focuses their actions. As The Monk demonstrates with an eye bent toward reality, history and superstition, this fanaticism is quite often extremely dangerous.

Also available for free from Gutenberg or your favorite e-book repository, the Centipede Press edition merits special attention. Should you find something special in this story, the edition they printed is superb in every way and recommended.

The Monk is a tale told from darkness, about darkness, and while the main character begins as a somewhat prideful but otherwise saint-like holy man, the mitigated light that would normally be present in such a story barely exists at the onset and quickly dims until extinguished.

The obstacles and style of the book make a rating difficult – this is not for everyone.
To the horror lover – 3
To the hard – 4
To the occasional horror fan – 2
To the monsters, the giants – 5

4 stars

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Awesome. Drooling.

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The Monk – Matthew Gregory Lewis
“Though I forgive your breaking your vows to heaven, I expect you to keep your vows to me.”

Well over 200 years old, The Monk details the fall of the most pious man the world knows. Ambrosia the hero-monk, the sinless man of God revered above all others, is softened by pride, seduced from his purity and mired in lust and murder as his appetites grow and Lucifer closes in.

Significant for many reasons, The Monk is considered one of the earlier Gothic tales, beating out Dracula and Jekyll and Hyde by a hundred years and Frankenstein by decades. It also has the distinction of its main villain being a devoutly religious man. Sorcery has a strong presence and while much of the plot is made possible by it the magic remains a background element. At the forefront is black and white morality, for once started down the path Ambrosia’s decisions propel him toward damnation.

As you might expect reading a book of this age comes with a few caveats including a slight language barrier and the impression stories were just told a little differently in that time. Readers are expected to have extra patience while it builds toward the payoff. You may feel confused a few times throughout the book and it doesn’t help that some of the characters have at least two names. However, this minor confusion is at last revealed as important and even intentional as certain details come to light by the end.

This is not Lansdale, where you sit down and read cover to cover as fast as you can through a lightning story. It’s a ponderous journey and a look into a time when religion was a major part of life. And this, depending on your interpretation, is not presented as a particularly positive thing. Zealots have always existed and will always exist as long as mankind persists; religion magnifies and focuses their actions. As The Monk demonstrates with an eye bent toward reality, history and superstition, this fanaticism is quite often extremely dangerous.

The Monk is a tale about darkness told from darkness. While the main character begins as a somewhat prideful but otherwise saintly holy man, the mitigated light that would normally be present in such a story barely exists at the onset and quickly dims until extinguished.

Also available free from Gutenberg, the Centipede Press edition merits special attention. Their book is massive, heavily illustrated and uses a heavy, thick paper stock. It’s superb in every way and highly recommended.

4 stars

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Fearie Tales – Stephen Jones (Ed.), various authors

(on fairies)
“But they can’t have memories. They don’t know their name. Don’t have a favourite smell or sound, a longed-for taste or a book in which they might lose themselves. They have nothing.”
Peter Crowther – 'The Artemis Line'

Based on the tales of the brothers Grimm, this book consists of two woven bodies of stories. The first are the old fairy tales which are presented in easily accessible versions from Grimm’s Household Tales, not to be missed or skipped. They provide important counterpoints to the surrounding stories, are generally much shorter than the newer fiction, and in many cases prepare the landing field for the next story in important ways.

New stories modernizing the older, established tales are the second part and the real meat of the anthology. Horror abounds. These are bloody, scary, nasty tales, faithfully updating the original Grimm themes. Huge liberties are taken by the authors differentiating these newer spins from older ones, and some are entirely new.

Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee, Robert Shearman, Michael Marshall Smith, Markus Heitz and John Ajvide Lindqvist knock it right out of the park, though most of the rest of the new fiction is quite good as well.

In particular two authors take it even further in a book filled with great material. Old and new tales, with a huge portion of the new fiction being excellent, these two stand as brilliant examples of how this is done to perfection.

“The Ash-Boy” – Christopher Fowler

Cinderella stories are never as well told as this one. Make sure to read the preceding, older retelling of Cinderella to get a firm grip on just how bloody this story really is. The oldie is a favorite, and moving from it into “The Ash-Boy” leaves the feeling the author was perhaps transposing the tale a little too accurately until around halfway through when it rockets into its own life. The characters and events differ drastically from the original, and the whole thing explodes into an ending that will have you fist-pumping.

“The Silken People” – Joanne Harris

A young girl is told by her nurse about The Lacewing King, or the king of the fairies, and to the nurse’s consternation spends all her time trying to locate the king based on the nurse’s pointers like looking from the corner of your eye and looking when first waking when fairies are most visible. A touching tale of longing and belonging, this one brims over with magic, sadness and wonder, as a penultimate fairy tale should.

This collection may seem a little niche to some in that it borrows so heavily from older material, but trust the editor and the authors. They do a great job of bringing the book to life.

Fearie Tales is a masterful collection of the themed short form, bringing modernized fairy tales of our childhoods and the childhoods of our fathers full-circle.

4 stars

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