What are you currently reading?

[dannyboy121070]

Thanks for the review on STRANGE STONE because, like sholloman, I've been not too sure if I should pull the trigger or not on it. I like Sangiovanni, Lee not so much, and I feel Lovecraft is hit-or-miss.

How's that GHOST RIDER omnibus? I never read the series when it came out, but I know it was hugely popular. I mean, in the 90s every comic had Wolverine, the Punisher, or Ghost Rider guest-starring in it to boost sales. I read a little of the spin-off series SPIRITS OF VENGEANCE when it came out and it was...fine. I find Howard Mackie's work to be VERY hit-or-miss. When it works, it's so much fun. When it doesn't...well, not so much.

You hit the nail right on the head with "fun". The book is, mainly, a lot of fun. Mackie is NOT a skilled writer, and some of the dialogue, MOST of the dialogue, is cringe-worthy. The stories are so gonzo that you can't help but enjoy them. The book is dragged down by dozens of short stories/arcs from MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS that are all uniformly terrible, so I ended up giving the book a 5 out of 10. I'll probably be back for the second volume, though.

After finishing the GR omnibus, I moved on the the slightly better third volume of the SIMPSONS TREEHOUSE OF HORROR omnibus. Stories by Len Wein & Bernie Wrightson and Marv Wolfman & Gene Colan were a real treat.

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Suntup AGE of Richard Matheson's "Hell House". This was my first time reading Hell House and it was everything that I was hoping for and more. Really strong character work, a great setting, and a willingness to push boundaries. I don't traditionally enjoy haunted house books as much as other horror troupes as I don't find them very scary, but this one worked for me big-time. Everything about the Belasco house/haunting was creepy, and the story was so much meaner that I had expected going-in. Overall, an A+ read for me and perhaps my new favorite haunting novel of all-time!

Am now reading the Earthling LE of Jonathan Janz's "Marla". This was a previous entry in Earthling's Halloween Series that I never got around to; so, I figure now's the time!

[dannyboy121070]

Just read Lisa Morton & John Palisano's novella PLACERITA, which concerns lizard men under 1920's L.A. A fun read, but, man....as a proofreader who CD hasn't used in years, I was aghast to see all of spelling and grammar errors that made it into the finished book. I makes CD look amateur-hour. Really disappointing.

[brlesh]

Finished Winterset Hollow by Jonathan Edward Durham, a book which I ultimately liked, though I found the first third of the book to be slow and dry.

After Winterset Hollow, I read Children of the Kingdom, the first novella in TED Klein’s Dark Gods.

COTK was a reread for me, though it’s been a while since I last read it. Forgot what a truly twisted story this was.

Lovecraft must have rolled over in his grave with his Mi-go reimagined as rapists!

Right now I’m about 40 pages into Eynhallow, Tim McGregor’s take on Victor Frankenstein creating a companion for his original creation.

First thing I’ve read by McGregor, and so far really enjoying it.

B

[sholloman81]

Just finished reading the Earthling LE of Jonathan Janz's "Marla". Always enjoy Janz's stuff and this one was no different. Great characters, a great villain, and lots of scary scenes. Truly one of the better entries that I've read in the Earthling Halloween series so far.

Planning to read Kristopher Triana's & Mona Kabbani's "The Dark Embrace" next.

[RonClinton]

I finished Brian Keene’s latest non-fiction collection, LOVE AND HATE IN THE TIME OF COVID, and am just starting Jeff Strand’s new one, CREEP OUT — both Thunderstorm releases. This time around, Keene wrote more about personal issues and COVID-related situations, and less about the publishing industry and writing, so I wasn’t as taken with this one as his previous non-fiction collections, but to be fair the title gave me fair warning that the focus this time around would likely be different.