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March 2020 - How Many??

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    March 2020 - How Many??

    Finished 6 in March, with one DNF.

    The Haunting of Henderson Close by Catherine Cavendish was an old fashioned gothic ghost story combined with a 100 year old murder mystery. The characters tended to be stereotypes at best, but the story had a good flow to it & it kept my attention. Also a surprise twist at the end that I did not see coming. This was the first thing I've read by Cavendish and I would definitely pick up something else by her in the future. 3.5 / 5

    A Little Purple Book of Phantasies by Gahan Wilson. Known more for his work as an illustrator, Gahan Wilson was also an accomplished short story writer, as evidenced in this small collection of his fiction. Favorites were 'The Marble Boy', a chilling tale of revenge from the grave, 'The Sea Was as Wet as Wet Could Be', an interesting combination of the influences of Lovecraft & Lewis Carroll, and 'The Outermost Borough', a modernized version of 'Pickman's Model'. 4 / 5

    Enter, Night by Michael Rowe breathes life into the classic vampire story by intertwining it with the Wendigo myth. Rowe grabs your attention with the very first line of the novel and doesn't let up until the end of the story. And these are blood and guts vampires; Twilight fans need not apply. Rowe does tend to be wordy at times, spending time on at least one length backstory that went no where, and there is a 50+ page epilogue at the end of the book that is somewhat slow & dry (actually it does not to be read to enjoy the story and is not identified as an epilogue in the book), but it does give the backstory on the origins of the vampire back in the 1700's. Overall, I thought this was a very good book that did something most new vampire stories do not do; it added something new to the vampire mythos. 4 / 5

    In Darkness, Delight: Creatures of the Night ed. by Andrew Lennon & Evans Light. Read the first four stories and did not like any of them. I won't be picking this one up again. DNF

    In stark contrast, The Twisted Book of Shadows ed. by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore was one of the best anthologies in recent memory. I found just about every story to be interesting with a well executed plot line. Almost all of the authors were new to me, which was a pleasant surprise in an anthology of such high quality. There were several memorable stories throughout the book, with my favorites being 'Midnight Sun' by Andrew Bourelle (an interesting take on the werewolf story), 'Liza' by Jeffrey Burton (is it a dog? Or is it something else?) and 'The Birthing Pool' by Eoin Murphy (sacrificial cult ceremony with Lovecraftian overtones). Highly recommended for fans of short horror fiction. 4 / 5

    The Hiding Place by CJ Tudor was a solid follow up to her first book, The Chalk Man. While I would categorize The Hiding Place as a suspense/thriller, there is a definite supernatural vein running throughout the story, which owes more than a nod of the head to Pet Semetery. There are a lot of 'Oh Shit' moments toward the end of the book, and not all of them hold up to scrutiny, but in general, fans of The Chalk Man should enjoy The Hiding Place. Looking forward to the next effort from Tudor. 4 / 5

    Stranded was a chapbook that included the winning stories from a writing contest run by Dark Regions Press. I'm not a big fan of flash fiction, and found these stories to be too constrained by the story length guidelines (stories were 2 to 4 pages in length; don't know the word count). This one was strictly a time killer. 2 / 5

    B

    #2
    Originally posted by brlesh View Post
    Finished 6 in March, with one DNF.

    The Haunting of Henderson Close by Catherine Cavendish was an old fashioned gothic ghost story combined with a 100 year old murder mystery. The characters tended to be stereotypes at best, but the story had a good flow to it & it kept my attention. Also a surprise twist at the end that I did not see coming. This was the first thing I've read by Cavendish and I would definitely pick up something else by her in the future. 3.5 / 5

    A Little Purple Book of Phantasies by Gahan Wilson. Known more for his work as an illustrator, Gahan Wilson was also an accomplished short story writer, as evidenced in this small collection of his fiction. Favorites were 'The Marble Boy', a chilling tale of revenge from the grave, 'The Sea Was as Wet as Wet Could Be', an interesting combination of the influences of Lovecraft & Lewis Carroll, and 'The Outermost Borough', a modernized version of 'Pickman's Model'. 4 / 5

    Enter, Night by Michael Rowe breathes life into the classic vampire story by intertwining it with the Wendigo myth. Rowe grabs your attention with the very first line of the novel and doesn't let up until the end of the story. And these are blood and guts vampires; Twilight fans need not apply. Rowe does tend to be wordy at times, spending time on at least one length backstory that went no where, and there is a 50+ page epilogue at the end of the book that is somewhat slow & dry (actually it does not to be read to enjoy the story and is not identified as an epilogue in the book), but it does give the backstory on the origins of the vampire back in the 1700's. Overall, I thought this was a very good book that did something most new vampire stories do not do; it added something new to the vampire mythos. 4 / 5

    In Darkness, Delight: Creatures of the Night ed. by Andrew Lennon & Evans Light. Read the first four stories and did not like any of them. I won't be picking this one up again. DNF

    In stark contrast, The Twisted Book of Shadows ed. by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore was one of the best anthologies in recent memory. I found just about every story to be interesting with a well executed plot line. Almost all of the authors were new to me, which was a pleasant surprise in an anthology of such high quality. There were several memorable stories throughout the book, with my favorites being 'Midnight Sun' by Andrew Bourelle (an interesting take on the werewolf story), 'Liza' by Jeffrey Burton (is it a dog? Or is it something else?) and 'The Birthing Pool' by Eoin Murphy (sacrificial cult ceremony with Lovecraftian overtones). Highly recommended for fans of short horror fiction. 4 / 5

    The Hiding Place by CJ Tudor was a solid follow up to her first book, The Chalk Man. While I would categorize The Hiding Place as a suspense/thriller, there is a definite supernatural vein running throughout the story, which owes more than a nod of the head to Pet Semetery. There are a lot of 'Oh Shit' moments toward the end of the book, and not all of them hold up to scrutiny, but in general, fans of The Chalk Man should enjoy The Hiding Place. Looking forward to the next effort from Tudor. 4 / 5

    Stranded was a chapbook that included the winning stories from a writing contest run by Dark Regions Press. I'm not a big fan of flash fiction, and found these stories to be too constrained by the story length guidelines (stories were 2 to 4 pages in length; don't know the word count). This one was strictly a time killer. 2 / 5

    B
    I completely agree with your the little book by Gahan Wilson!

    Comment


      #3
      Finished five reads in March:

      Midnight Son by James Dommek Jr.:
      A podcast series turned into an audio book. It is a story of a native Alaskan who went from aspiring actor with a promising future to a man on a crime spree that leads to prison. For along time the story is absolutely fascinating. The end devolves into strange territory about local legend and only briefly touches on mental illness. The first five parts are solid five star territories but the last is two stars at best.
      4 Stars

      Prador Moon by Neal Asher:
      Recommended from for fans of John Scalzi. I get the reason the story was compared to Scalzi. The problem was I failed to develop a caring for the characters like I do with Scalzi. I fine story but too Sci-Fi for me.
      3 Stars

      Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi:
      So, I needed a Scalzi fix so I went with a re-read of Fuzzy Nation. This is a retelling of a Sci-Fi novel from the sixties. I am not a Sci-Fi fan but I enjoy this enough that I am at least considering reading the original book.
      4 Stars

      Patreon Stories Volume Two by Brian James Freeman:
      Got way more out of this than I expected. I expected reprints of some of Mr. Freeman’s stories and poetry. While I got that I also got some real good stories that I have not read before. He also included some stories that he wrote as a child. They were pretty good! I get the same feeling from a Freeman story that I do from Stewart O’nan. He often makes me feel like I am observing someone living their Life.
      5 Stars

      Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King
      Another re-read. I remember liking this book but had forgotten how much I enjoyed it. It is not really a novel but five interconnected stories. Low Men in Yellow Coats, Hearts in Atlantis and Heavenly Shades of Night are solid five star reads. The other two feel a bit like filler and lower the overall experience to a four-star read for me.
      4 Stars

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by Martin View Post

        Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi:
        So, I needed a Scalzi fix so I went with a re-read of Fuzzy Nation. This is a retelling of a Sci-Fi novel from the sixties. I am not a Sci-Fi fan but I enjoy this enough that I am at least considering reading the original book.
        4 Stars
        Starting this tonight.
        Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_clinton

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by RonClinton View Post
          Starting this tonight.
          Enjoy! The Last Emperox comes out in 11 days!

          Comment


            #6
            A very good month for me quality wise.

            Dennis Wheatley - The Devil Rides Out (7/10) The group of friends from Wheatley's debut novel The Forbidden Territory reunite for another adventure; this time to take down some Satanists intent on unleashing the four horseman of the apocalypse on the world. Enjoyable thriller apart from the deus ex machina ending.

            F Paul Wilson - The Tomb (8/10) I haven't read any Repairmen Jack books yet (even though I have them all) so I'm starting at the beginning. Jack Reacher crossed with the supernatural. So far so good!

            F Paul Wilson - The Last Rakosh (7/10) This novella follows on from the events of The Tomb and shows a more compassionate side to Jack's character. Asking the age-old question who are the real monsters; humans or creatures unknown.

            Nancy A Collins - Wild Blood (7/10) Werewolf novel from the point of view of the werewolves. Collins raises it above pulp level but including a complex mythology of the history and different types of werewolf for a relatively short novel. Very enjoyable.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by JasonUK View Post
              A very good month for me quality wise.

              Dennis Wheatley - The Devil Rides Out (7/10) The group of friends from Wheatley's debut novel The Forbidden Territory reunite for another adventure; this time to take down some Satanists intent on unleashing the four horseman of the apocalypse on the world. Enjoyable thriller apart from the deus ex machina ending.

              F Paul Wilson - The Tomb (8/10) I haven't read any Repairmen Jack books yet (even though I have them all) so I'm starting at the beginning. Jack Reacher crossed with the supernatural. So far so good!

              F Paul Wilson - The Last Rakosh (7/10) This novella follows on from the events of The Tomb and shows a more compassionate side to Jack's character. Asking the age-old question who are the real monsters; humans or creatures unknown.

              Nancy A Collins - Wild Blood (7/10) Werewolf novel from the point of view of the werewolves. Collins raises it above pulp level but including a complex mythology of the history and different types of werewolf for a relatively short novel. Very enjoyable.
              At some point I will have to try F Paul Wilson out.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Martin View Post
                Enjoy! The Last Emperox comes out in 11 days!
                Halfway through FUZZY NATION and loving it. That familiar Scalzi voice, that compelling mix of character and humor and vivid plotting, is a joy to revisit after a couple of other authors’ books (that preceded this one) just didn’t quite click.
                Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_clinton

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by RonClinton View Post
                  Halfway through FUZZY NATION and loving it. That familiar Scalzi voice, that compelling mix of character and humor and vivid plotting, is a joy to revisit after a couple of other authors’ books (that preceded this one) just didn’t quite click.
                  I hear you. Scalzi hits all the marks for me. Great characters, great dialogue, great story telling and humor!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Martin View Post
                    At some point I will have to try F Paul Wilson out.
                    Oh, you can't go wrong with Wilson.
                    http://thecrabbyreviewer.blogspot.com/

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post
                      Oh, you can't go wrong with Wilson.
                      Any suggestions on where I should start? I have known the name for years but nothing about his writing.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Martin View Post
                        Any suggestions on where I should start? I have known the name for years but nothing about his writing.
                        MIDNIGHT MASS, the expanded novel that came out from CD a while back. Apocalyptic vampire novel.
                        THE TOMB, the introduction of Repairman Jack.
                        THE KEEP, his first horror novel and a great example of historical horror.
                        SOFT AND OTHERS, an incredible short-story collection.
                        DYDEETOWN WORLD, noir'ish sci-fi.

                        He has a lot of great books, but those five are probably the best to start with, and give a new reader an idea of the breadth of his work.
                        Twitter: https://twitter.com/ron_clinton

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Martin View Post
                          Any suggestions on where I should start? I have known the name for years but nothing about his writing.
                          I think THE KEEP is an outstanding period Horror novel. It was my first Wilson. It reads great alone, and if you like it, it sets the stage for Repairman Jack and his overarching storyline. As Ron said, SOFT is a phenomenal collection, but might be hard to find at this point. (I remember buying a battered paperback on e-bay a few decades ago, after searching fruitlessly for a nicer copy.)
                          http://thecrabbyreviewer.blogspot.com/

                          Comment

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