 THE BURNING BOY AND OTHER STORIES By Denver Grenell Publisher : Beware The Moon Publishing (31 July 2021) Language : English Paperback : 158 pages ISBN-10 : 0473583704 ISBN-13 : 978-0473583705 A Book Review by Damascus Mincemeyer "My devil had been long caged, he came out roaring." --Robert Louis Stevenson, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde For decades in both its celluloid and written form, horror has often been perceived, correctly in many instances, of being stagnant and insular, a genre concerned more with the spoils of imitation--box office results and best-seller lists--than innovation. No sooner is a cinematic sub-style such as the slasher film introduced than it becomes copied to the point of cliché and even parody; likewise, the emergence of that literary titan Stephen King in the 1970's has single-handedly crystallized in the mind of the general public what horror fiction is supposed to be, whether it is or not. If truth is the first casualty of war, then originality is very nearly the first casualty of producers and publishers churning out homogenized, cookie-cutter product in the name of profit. Not all creators, however, are satisfied with merely standing on the shoulders of their predecessors. They unabashedly see and interpret the horror landscape in new and exciting ways. Denver Grenell is one such writer. Weaned on a youthful diet of horror flicks and Fangoria magazine, the New Zealander's unique and unflinching work has appeared in various anthologies from DarkLit Press, Crystal Lake Publishing, Black Hare Press, Bloodrites Horror as well as on Hawk & Cleaver's The Other Stories podcast. Now, Beware The Moon Publishing releases The Burning Boy and Other Stories, a fifteen-story compilation of Grenell's short fiction that highlights his singular approach to the modern horror yarn. The tome's opener, 'The Offering', finds teenaged Cara learning about her secretive grandfather's scars, and the terrifying meaning contained within his mystical journal, while three other teens testing a local urban legend about a cursed staircase discover the terrifying truth once they tread on 'The Thirteenth Step'. A young man meets his dream girl at a Halloween party and soon learns that sacrifice is a consequence of desire in 'Lilith'. 'Ichor' concerns two test subjects granted superheroic abilities in a heavily-guarded governmental facility. A lonely man mourning those he once knew at a cemetery turns out to be more sinister than he first appears in 'The Grave', while a patient phantom awaits the perfect time to give a 'Last Kiss' to the philanderer responsible for her earthly demise. The volume's second half kicks off with a bang as a would-be classroom killer unexpectedly meets his match in his high school's 'Corridor'. A dictatorial advertising director finds herself on the receiving end of a gypsy curse after firing an assistant who failed to understand how she wants her coffee in 'Black, One Sugar'. Two back-to-back transportation tales come next: a nervous man's maiden train ride through Wellington's subterranean mountain 'Tunnel' turns into a struggle for survival once a natural (or is it an unnatural?) disaster strikes, while an appreciated taste for late-'90's electronic music livens up 'The Bus', a clever and unique take on the vampire that delivers genuine climactic shocks. A pair of pieces share connections to other stories, showing that Grenell's short fiction may be fragments of a larger personal mosaic--'Rectify', a futuristic extension of the sci-fi possibilities presented in 'Ichor', centers on a fugitive time traveler who literally takes himself out, while the concluding 'I See You' is an inventive sequel to 'The Grave' that shifts perspectives and gives vengeful closure to that earlier tale. Grenell's work is a magnificent showcase of compact, surgical craft; each story is scalpel-precise, sharp enough to slice straight to the emotional core and allow readers to swiftly binge several of the short yarns in a single sitting. Yet that fierce economy of words cuts both ways: brevity may be the soul of wit, but some pieces feel incomplete, the sketchiest of outlines rather than the intricate Rembrandt masterpieces their creator envisioned. That briefness begets a certain frustration, but only because of Grenell's potent literary skill: his writing is so clear and vivid, the situations so alluring to the mind's eye, that we want more, and cannot help but be disappointed when some of the tales seem to stop prematurely. That said, there's far more to love in The Burning Boy than not; Grenell's dialogue consistently rings true to the ear, and a dark lushness reverberates through his prose: 'A bunch of red roses hung from the man's right hand like a splash of blood from an open vein' reads one poetic passage from 'The Grave', and such imaginative invocations are not isolated incidents. True, also, is the fact that Grenell's creative finger lies on the pulse of contemporary societal issues, and he wisely utilizes them to exacting, frightful effect rather than for cheap thrills, or worse, sensationalist exploitation. There's the ecological undercurrent of 'Lilith', the school shooting scenario central to 'Corridor', the devastating drawbacks of youthful peer pressure displayed in 'The Thirteenth Step' and the book's titular tale. It's likewise an example of his innovative spirit that little in the way of tried-and-true horror scenarios arise: few of the genre's heavy-hitting stock monsters such as vampires or zombies appear, and when they do Grenell cleverly inverts, subverts or outright demolishes their tiresome familiarity. Themes and plots revolve instead around the wickedness that humanity perpetrates, upon nature and upon itself, and to that end three stories deserve special recognition. When a young man badgered by his mother about having children finds a mysterious infant on his doorstep it begins a macabre metamorphosis in 'Cherub', a hallucinogenic dose of body horror. The murdered lover who tells her tale, 'In Comes The Tide', similarly undergoes her own grisly transformation once her body is dumped overboard. What makes this story stunning is its dual, entwined narrative: one of the protagonist's post mortem undersea journey, and the heartbreaking revelatory thread detailing how she came to be there. Yet it is the collection's title story, 'The Burning Boy', that evokes the starkest chills. A trio of teenage delinquents responsible for the accidental Guy Fawkes Night immolation of a schoolmate become the victims of his vengeful apparition on the crime's bleak anniversary. Palpable with dread, the fable here frightens precisely because of its realistic manner and the earnest voice that tells the tale. In an often stale and set-in-its-ways genre, Grenell strives for, and achieves, that rarest of accomplishments--originality--and it's for that reason that I recommend The Burning Boy and Other Stories and give it a perfectly respectable 3.5 (out of 5) on my Fang Scale. Any horror collection that references The Chemical Brothers' 'Out of Control' is worthy of my attention and yours. Curl up with it one lazy afternoon. You won't regret it. The Burning Boy & Other Stories |
 |  |
THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR FICTION REVIEWS
a spectacular ending to a brilliant novel, utterly cinematic and bombastic in its scope and delivery. Lebbon may have just produced the best finale of his career so far.
Scott H. Biram sang it perfectly in his song Judgement Day, "There's a big storm coming, and it's gonna wash us all away", so much so that it became my official theme tune for The Last Storm, Tim Lebbon's latest novel from Titan Books.
Many of you will know that I am a big fan of Tim's writing; he is one of the few authors who understands the craft of writing well enough to be a successful multi-genre writer. From thrillers to fantasy to heartbreaking allegories to downright full-on horror, Tim's writing skill and love for the genres he writes in shines through in his stories. Hell, I've been reading his books for almost as long as I have been with my partner, but to answer who I have taken to bed more times, I'll have to check my reading diary.
The Last Storm is a near/pre-apocalyptic novel set in the near future where the world is slowly but surely crumbling into a parched earth; water is scarce, the people are angry and mysterious Rainmakers who have the power to bring the rains are now resigned to being mere campfire tales where their powers are seen as much as a curse as a blessing.
Living in isolation, Jesse is an ex-rainmaker who has set aside his gift after a fatal incident during the last time he used his powers to bring the rain, that left not only a drug dealer dead but his own daughter, when his powers open a portal between worlds brought forth not just the rain but deadly creatures, he has lived his life off the grid, determined to find solace or at least forget the fatal price of using his powers. But when his estranged wife comes crashing back into his life with news that their daughter did not die, Jesse and his wife enter a race against time to find their daughter before something deadly happens again.
There is a broken heart at the centre of The Last Storm, both in terms of the world in which it is set and the cast of characters; if you are looking for a book with clear lines between the heroes and villains, then this book might disappoint, in that respect; however, it is a clever move. You might be fooled into thinking that Jimi, who takes the role of the novel's antagonist, is not a nice person. He has killed, lied and cheated his way through the world ever since watching his father die because of the actions of Jesse, and, indeed, he isn't a nice person. Still, Lebbon has skillfully fleshed out his character, motivations and actions so that we, the reader, can't help but feel sympathy for him. Yes, he has nothing but cold-blooded murder on his mind once he hears about the return of the rainmakers; however, there is a humanity to him is missing from many other fictional antagonists.
For example, when you compare him to Jesse, there is much more sympathy from this reader towards Jimi than there is towards Jesse. Jesse is a coward who ran away and abandoned his family and the world who needed both him and his powers, choosing to live off the grid rather than face the consequences of what he did. If only he had a backbone, then the events of this book may have taken a whole new direction.
The Last Storm is Ash's story, particularly her relationship with Cee, a woman she meets on the road. They are both broken, battered and bruised from everything that life has thrown at them. They are wary of each other when they first meet, but they find a sense of comfort in each other's lives and how they came to be at this point in their life. Lebbon's adept handling of this relationship is a joy to read; its fractured beauty is compassionate, sympathetic and believable in its undertaking. These two emotionally crippled characters find a deep sense of friendship; whether or not they become codependent on each other, I'll leave that for you to decide.
Lebbon has always been a master of worldbuilding, and The Last Storm is no exception; while we never know when the novel is set regarding our timeline, Lebbon drops in enough hints and masterfully weaves in some excellent scene setting elements into the narrative that we are left in no doubt that this is our world, and we are heading slowly but surely to barren, scorched earth world of The Last Storm.
This brings us to the Rainmakers; I loved the concept of them, part mystical, part technological; these bringers of the rain are a high concept idea that works perfectly. When reading the synopsis of the book, I did have some concerns about the Rainmakers, but that was my misconception; I feared that Tim would try and use some of the Rain Dances of American history, but thankfully Lebbon is not this heavy-handed, and he uses a creation of his own making. While never entirely giving away the origin of the science or magic behind their powers, Lebbon has still created a fascinating concept. I particularly loved how they used some sort of techno-magic. And how they have to make their own rainmaking machine reminded me of how the Jedi build their lightsabers and how their emotional state affects the outcome of their power.
Similarly, the world at the other end of the portals they create is left without a proper explanation; by keeping this part of the story vague, Lebbon gives the story a wonderful sense of mystique and uncertainty.
One of the strengths of Lebbon's writing has always been his ability to add a layer of humanity to all of his works; at first glance, they may seem like pretty standard adventure horror stories, but there is depth to them that never fails to impress, and The Last Storm is a perfect example of this. A compelling narrative braced and supported by an effective look at family, life and how obsession can lead you down a dark road, this powerful novel will never veer off track from its dark road trip setting.
Those looking for an explosive finale will not be disappointed; the final The Last Storm is as thrilling and fierce as you can ever wish. Lebbon goes to town with an absolute cracker of a final act. As the protagonists come together for their showdown, you will be left gasping for air as Lebon refuses to let you have time to breathe. It is a spectacular ending to a brilliant novel, utterly cinematic and bombastic in its scope and delivery. Lebbon may have just produced the best finale of his career so far.
The Last Storm is a triumph of storytelling, and it is fantastic to see an author with a 25-year career in writing still producing novels of this quality. While some may rest on their laurels Lebbon, it is a joy to see an author consistently push themselves to create something different from their last work. Lebbon has always been a great writer, but like a fine wine, with each passing year, he gets better and better, and like a fine wine, The Last Storm is rich, full of body, and demands to be savoured.
Many of you will know that I am a big fan of Tim's writing; he is one of the few authors who understands the craft of writing well enough to be a successful multi-genre writer. From thrillers to fantasy to heartbreaking allegories to downright full-on horror, Tim's writing skill and love for the genres he writes in shines through in his stories. Hell, I've been reading his books for almost as long as I have been with my partner, but to answer who I have taken to bed more times, I'll have to check my reading diary.
The Last Storm is a near/pre-apocalyptic novel set in the near future where the world is slowly but surely crumbling into a parched earth; water is scarce, the people are angry and mysterious Rainmakers who have the power to bring the rains are now resigned to being mere campfire tales where their powers are seen as much as a curse as a blessing.
Living in isolation, Jesse is an ex-rainmaker who has set aside his gift after a fatal incident during the last time he used his powers to bring the rain, that left not only a drug dealer dead but his own daughter, when his powers open a portal between worlds brought forth not just the rain but deadly creatures, he has lived his life off the grid, determined to find solace or at least forget the fatal price of using his powers. But when his estranged wife comes crashing back into his life with news that their daughter did not die, Jesse and his wife enter a race against time to find their daughter before something deadly happens again.
There is a broken heart at the centre of The Last Storm, both in terms of the world in which it is set and the cast of characters; if you are looking for a book with clear lines between the heroes and villains, then this book might disappoint, in that respect; however, it is a clever move. You might be fooled into thinking that Jimi, who takes the role of the novel's antagonist, is not a nice person. He has killed, lied and cheated his way through the world ever since watching his father die because of the actions of Jesse, and, indeed, he isn't a nice person. Still, Lebbon has skillfully fleshed out his character, motivations and actions so that we, the reader, can't help but feel sympathy for him. Yes, he has nothing but cold-blooded murder on his mind once he hears about the return of the rainmakers; however, there is a humanity to him is missing from many other fictional antagonists.
For example, when you compare him to Jesse, there is much more sympathy from this reader towards Jimi than there is towards Jesse. Jesse is a coward who ran away and abandoned his family and the world who needed both him and his powers, choosing to live off the grid rather than face the consequences of what he did. If only he had a backbone, then the events of this book may have taken a whole new direction.
The Last Storm is Ash's story, particularly her relationship with Cee, a woman she meets on the road. They are both broken, battered and bruised from everything that life has thrown at them. They are wary of each other when they first meet, but they find a sense of comfort in each other's lives and how they came to be at this point in their life. Lebbon's adept handling of this relationship is a joy to read; its fractured beauty is compassionate, sympathetic and believable in its undertaking. These two emotionally crippled characters find a deep sense of friendship; whether or not they become codependent on each other, I'll leave that for you to decide.
Lebbon has always been a master of worldbuilding, and The Last Storm is no exception; while we never know when the novel is set regarding our timeline, Lebbon drops in enough hints and masterfully weaves in some excellent scene setting elements into the narrative that we are left in no doubt that this is our world, and we are heading slowly but surely to barren, scorched earth world of The Last Storm.
This brings us to the Rainmakers; I loved the concept of them, part mystical, part technological; these bringers of the rain are a high concept idea that works perfectly. When reading the synopsis of the book, I did have some concerns about the Rainmakers, but that was my misconception; I feared that Tim would try and use some of the Rain Dances of American history, but thankfully Lebbon is not this heavy-handed, and he uses a creation of his own making. While never entirely giving away the origin of the science or magic behind their powers, Lebbon has still created a fascinating concept. I particularly loved how they used some sort of techno-magic. And how they have to make their own rainmaking machine reminded me of how the Jedi build their lightsabers and how their emotional state affects the outcome of their power.
Similarly, the world at the other end of the portals they create is left without a proper explanation; by keeping this part of the story vague, Lebbon gives the story a wonderful sense of mystique and uncertainty.
One of the strengths of Lebbon's writing has always been his ability to add a layer of humanity to all of his works; at first glance, they may seem like pretty standard adventure horror stories, but there is depth to them that never fails to impress, and The Last Storm is a perfect example of this. A compelling narrative braced and supported by an effective look at family, life and how obsession can lead you down a dark road, this powerful novel will never veer off track from its dark road trip setting.
Those looking for an explosive finale will not be disappointed; the final The Last Storm is as thrilling and fierce as you can ever wish. Lebbon goes to town with an absolute cracker of a final act. As the protagonists come together for their showdown, you will be left gasping for air as Lebon refuses to let you have time to breathe. It is a spectacular ending to a brilliant novel, utterly cinematic and bombastic in its scope and delivery. Lebbon may have just produced the best finale of his career so far.
The Last Storm is a triumph of storytelling, and it is fantastic to see an author with a 25-year career in writing still producing novels of this quality. While some may rest on their laurels Lebbon, it is a joy to see an author consistently push themselves to create something different from their last work. Lebbon has always been a great writer, but like a fine wine, with each passing year, he gets better and better, and like a fine wine, The Last Storm is rich, full of body, and demands to be savoured.
The Last Storm
by Tim Lebbon
A gripping, terrifying road trip through the heat of the post-apocalyptic American desert from the author of Netflix’s The Silence. This action-packed and thought-provoking eco-nightmare will appeal to fans of Benjamin Percy, Christopher Golden and Josh Malerman.
With global warming out of control, large swathes of North America have been struck by famine and drought and are now known as the Desert. A young woman sets out across this dry, hostile landscape, gradually building an arcane apparatus she believes will bring rain to the parched earth.
Jesse lives alone, far from civilization. Once, he too made rain, but he stopped when his abilities caused fatalities, bringing down not just rain but scorpions, strange snakes and spiders. When his daughter Ash inherited this tainted gift, Jesse did his best to stop her. His attempt went tragically wrong, and he believes himself responsible for her death.
But now his estranged wife Karina brings news that Ash is still alive. And she’s rainmaking again. Terrified of what she might bring down upon the desperate communities of the Desert, they set out to find her. But Jesse and Karina are not the only ones looking for Ash. As the storms she conjures become more violent and deadly, some follow her seeking hope. And one is hungry for revenge.
With global warming out of control, large swathes of North America have been struck by famine and drought and are now known as the Desert. A young woman sets out across this dry, hostile landscape, gradually building an arcane apparatus she believes will bring rain to the parched earth.
Jesse lives alone, far from civilization. Once, he too made rain, but he stopped when his abilities caused fatalities, bringing down not just rain but scorpions, strange snakes and spiders. When his daughter Ash inherited this tainted gift, Jesse did his best to stop her. His attempt went tragically wrong, and he believes himself responsible for her death.
But now his estranged wife Karina brings news that Ash is still alive. And she’s rainmaking again. Terrified of what she might bring down upon the desperate communities of the Desert, they set out to find her. But Jesse and Karina are not the only ones looking for Ash. As the storms she conjures become more violent and deadly, some follow her seeking hope. And one is hungry for revenge.
CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW
 | |
THE HEART OF HORROR REVIEW WEBSITES
The pages fly by. The characters were great, well written. I felt for Drew and what he was trying to do for his son
Demon Dagger By Russell James
A Book Review by Joe Ortlieb
A Book Review by Joe Ortlieb
Demon hunting at its best.
I've never been a fan of books or movies that jump from past to present. Yet with Demon Dagger Russell pulled it off. In fact he killed it. The story flows so well that I didn't mind it.
Drew can see demons as the monsters they are, not the humans they look like. As a young kid he meets Lincoln who teaches him how to fix cars and hunt demons. Present day Drew hasn't seen demons for a long time. He has a wife and a son.
Along comes a demon who Lincoln sent back to hell. Looking for revenge and makes Drew's life hell.
The story jumps back and forth and at the same time sucks you in. It's not an easy book to put down when the kids start fighting. The pages fly by. The characters were great, well written. I felt for Drew and what he was trying to do for his son.
I try to do spoiler free reviews short sweet and to the point. So is this a great book that I enjoyed the hell out of yes. Should you read it in August when it comes out yes. Will a physical copy end up on my shelf yes. Russell James made me a fan with Demon Dagger.
I've never been a fan of books or movies that jump from past to present. Yet with Demon Dagger Russell pulled it off. In fact he killed it. The story flows so well that I didn't mind it.
Drew can see demons as the monsters they are, not the humans they look like. As a young kid he meets Lincoln who teaches him how to fix cars and hunt demons. Present day Drew hasn't seen demons for a long time. He has a wife and a son.
Along comes a demon who Lincoln sent back to hell. Looking for revenge and makes Drew's life hell.
The story jumps back and forth and at the same time sucks you in. It's not an easy book to put down when the kids start fighting. The pages fly by. The characters were great, well written. I felt for Drew and what he was trying to do for his son.
I try to do spoiler free reviews short sweet and to the point. So is this a great book that I enjoyed the hell out of yes. Should you read it in August when it comes out yes. Will a physical copy end up on my shelf yes. Russell James made me a fan with Demon Dagger.
Demon Dagger
by Russell James
Drew Price has a gift, or perhaps a curse.
When a demon possesses a person, Drew can see the horrific-looking demon that dwells within. This ability has made him a demon hunter, armed with the one weapon that can send these fiends back to Hell; the demon dagger.
A demon named Nicobar sets its sights on punishing this hunter. It starts by taking the soul of Drew’s son, condemning the boy to life as a psychopath.
This fast-paced, chilling novel follows Drew’s attempt to save his son’s soul and then use the blade to end Nicobar’s time on Earth.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress
When a demon possesses a person, Drew can see the horrific-looking demon that dwells within. This ability has made him a demon hunter, armed with the one weapon that can send these fiends back to Hell; the demon dagger.
A demon named Nicobar sets its sights on punishing this hunter. It starts by taking the soul of Drew’s son, condemning the boy to life as a psychopath.
This fast-paced, chilling novel follows Drew’s attempt to save his son’s soul and then use the blade to end Nicobar’s time on Earth.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more about Flame Tree Press at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress
CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW
 | |
THE HEART OF HORROR REVIEW WEBSITES
The writing is clear, authentic and touches on feelings that you thought were inexplicable, with that sinister element always waiting on your shoulder, ready to feed on the pain.
The Pain Eater by Kyle Muntz
A book review by Jay Slayton-Joslin
A book review by Jay Slayton-Joslin
We all cope with grief, pain and loss in many different ways. Over the past few years, people have had to face different aspects of this more so than in the history of humanity, and people have various ways to numb the pain. In his latest novel, The Pain Eater, Kyle Muntz offers an alternative medicine to this, a mysterious cat that can take the dark feelings away.
Steven and Michael are brothers who have just lost their father. Steven has recently completed his degree and Michael has summer ambitions as far as choosing which anime to watch. Muntz chooses not to show characters who are content in their life drift downwards but instead show us people who are already lost in life realise that they have not yet reached rock bottom. This isn’t a story of those who lose joy, but perhaps those that have never truly experienced it – which is why a strange creature that is born from the body of a dead cat is the fitting catalyst that the two need. The creature is a companion that feeds off pain. It offers a release greater than realising that you have an extra day off after the weekend and makes any other high not worth chasing. The trouble begins when the awareness of relief and joy only makes the darkness that Steven and Michael are used too that much more obvious, and what they will do to keep that good feeling and away from the darkness will never let their family be the same.
The horror of the novel is made all that more real by Muntz’s ability to capture the fractured family dynamic with remarkable detail. The minute-aggressions of the family dynamic are uncomfortably real. Passive-aggressive remarks and familial annoyances could come straight from an uncomfortable Christmas. The characters feel fleshed out and real – none of them are bastions of right or wrong but instead, acting as people with their own drives and emotions. What makes them more real is that they hurt, and they want to not feel the pain. The creature is simpler, but it is how it makes everyone around it change that is more terrifying. It allows everyone to feel without inhibition and that kind of feeling is not one that people want to give up. The novel isn’t terrifying because of something jumping out at you from a cellar, but in how it keeps you stepping down into the darkness with it.
The Pain Eater is a success because of Muntz’s writing and how he uses horror and mystery to elevate and develop a family story. The writing is clear, authentic and touches on feelings that you thought were inexplicable, with that sinister element always waiting on your shoulder, ready to feed on the pain. Think Marriage Story meets The Thing, think Franzen meets Koontz, think of the feeling you want most in life versus the complications when you get it. It’s the risk of happiness on a monkey-paw, but it’s one that’s definitely worth reading about.
Steven and Michael are brothers who have just lost their father. Steven has recently completed his degree and Michael has summer ambitions as far as choosing which anime to watch. Muntz chooses not to show characters who are content in their life drift downwards but instead show us people who are already lost in life realise that they have not yet reached rock bottom. This isn’t a story of those who lose joy, but perhaps those that have never truly experienced it – which is why a strange creature that is born from the body of a dead cat is the fitting catalyst that the two need. The creature is a companion that feeds off pain. It offers a release greater than realising that you have an extra day off after the weekend and makes any other high not worth chasing. The trouble begins when the awareness of relief and joy only makes the darkness that Steven and Michael are used too that much more obvious, and what they will do to keep that good feeling and away from the darkness will never let their family be the same.
The horror of the novel is made all that more real by Muntz’s ability to capture the fractured family dynamic with remarkable detail. The minute-aggressions of the family dynamic are uncomfortably real. Passive-aggressive remarks and familial annoyances could come straight from an uncomfortable Christmas. The characters feel fleshed out and real – none of them are bastions of right or wrong but instead, acting as people with their own drives and emotions. What makes them more real is that they hurt, and they want to not feel the pain. The creature is simpler, but it is how it makes everyone around it change that is more terrifying. It allows everyone to feel without inhibition and that kind of feeling is not one that people want to give up. The novel isn’t terrifying because of something jumping out at you from a cellar, but in how it keeps you stepping down into the darkness with it.
The Pain Eater is a success because of Muntz’s writing and how he uses horror and mystery to elevate and develop a family story. The writing is clear, authentic and touches on feelings that you thought were inexplicable, with that sinister element always waiting on your shoulder, ready to feed on the pain. Think Marriage Story meets The Thing, think Franzen meets Koontz, think of the feeling you want most in life versus the complications when you get it. It’s the risk of happiness on a monkey-paw, but it’s one that’s definitely worth reading about.
THE PAIN EATER BY KYLE MUNTZ
Some wounds are too deep to ever heal.Two brothers from Michigan are reunited after the death of their father. They’ve never been close, but now they have to live together—and it gets more difficult when one discovers a strange creature, vomited from the body of a dead cat. A creature that eats human pain. It feels good: too good. Soon he wants to hurt himself more, just so the pain can be taken away. But the more the creature becomes a part of his life, the more he damages everything around him.
JAY SLAYTON-JOSLIN
Jay Slayton-Joslin is the author of Sequelland (CLASH), a book that interviews horror sequel directors, and Kicking Prose (KUBOA). He was born in England and lives in China. You can follow him on twitter here (https://twitter.com/Jaythecool).
CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW
| | |
THE HEART OF HORROR REVIEW WEBSITES
THE GHOST THAT ATE US: THE TRAGIC TRUE STORY OF THE BURGER CITY POLTERGEIST BY DANIEL KRAUS
5/7/2022
True crime, poltergeists and burgers are a strange mix
Daniel Kraus should be applauded for trying something wildly different with The Ghost That Ate Us: The Tragic True Story of the Burger City Poltergeist, which I tried my best to like, but ultimately found frustrating. Kraus has a fascinating back-catalogue and is a genuine master of YA fiction, with Rotters (2011) and the awesome Bent Heavens (2020) two of my personal favourites. The Middle Grade Trollhunters (2015) is also highly recommended, as is They Threw Us Away (2020) which is aimed at slightly younger kids and starts off an ongoing trilogy.
In 2019 he picked over the bones of George A Romero’s zombie legacy with the doorstopper The Living Dead, which although got some great reviews I found hard work. There are very few writers out there with the capability to produce this impressive range of fiction (it’s immaterial whether I dig it or not) and The Ghost That Ate Us is a wacky addition to a highly impressive literary CV. Apart from Neil Gaiman only a handful of authors write for adults, through YA all the way down to Middle Grade.
This latest novel presents itself as a blend of non-fiction or true crime and the endless footnotes failed to convince and I quickly became bored by the goings on surrounding a so-called poltergeist haunting in a fast-food restaurant. The reader is repeatedly given dull and irrelevant facts, here is an example from page 213: “’Cage-free’ and ‘humane meat’ are empty, undefined phases used to pat the heads of queasy carnivores. Each day, 25 million chickens, 4 million pigs, and 800,000 cows are slaughtered.” The book is full of this type of information dropping, none of which added anything in making the book sound authentically non-fiction or realistic, if anything stunted the flow of the plot. It was not convincingly assimilated into the action and I struggled to maintain interest when such statistics were repeatedly fed to the reader and failed to connect with the plot.
The Ghost That Ate Us is written in such a way that the reader is to assume that Daniel Kraus is also the author of the non-fiction account we are reading. However, his personality, motivations or anything else are completely neutral and non-descript. How would I describe his ‘voice’? I couldn’t, as he barely has one. On a couple of occasions, he mentions his other fiction and there is a funny scene where another character has read Rotters, otherwise the voice is as bland as white paint.
Many other authors have dropped themselves in their work, including Stephen King, Bret Easton Ellis, Clive Cussler, Douglas Coupland, Darren Shan and HP Lovecraft to name a few. So, this is nothing new, but it is a pity Daniel Kraus did not make a more convincing job of bringing his personal narrative to life. In contrast, when I read Richard Chizmar’s Chasing the Boogieman I felt I learned a lot about Richard and his personality, this does not happen in The Ghost That Ate Us at all. Chizmar also brought the nostalgia connected to his childhood hometown to life, in contrast the restaurant location Kraus describes is completely lacking character and atmosphere.
The story itself is built around the events of June 1st (2017) where six people were killed at a Burger City franchise off I-80 near Jonny, Iowa, a story which made national headlines. This followed nine months of alleged paranormal activity at the fast-food joint-events popularly known as "the Burger City Poltergeist." Daniel Kraus investigates the events by interviewing those involved, digging into their histories and other aspects of working in the restaurant, including relationships, possible motivations for hoaxes or other non-supernatural avenues of research. All of this had the potential for a good story, but it seemed to be lost in a dull hodgepodge of comments, dull/repetitive characters interviews, irrelevant details and for a book with “poltergeist” in the title, nothing about it convinced.
Most of the humour also misfired and ultimately the final product was a mixed-up mess that just became more and more frustrating as things moved on. I kept on thinking I had missed something, hoping things would pick up, but it never did. Horror laced with comedy is not easy to pull off and although it was an original idea, it was let down by poor execution and in reality it was obviously very difficult to present supposedly true events set in a burger joint sound interesting.
Trying to emulate true crime, especially when attempting to use comedy and potential supernatural events, is not easy and although The Ghost That Ate Us tries its best and I became lost in the bland characters, boring detail and ultimately did not care whether the poltergeist was real or not. John Darnielle was more successful with the recent Devil House (without the comedy) blending fiction with the real-life murder which inspired the eighties hit film River’s Edge showing there is more than one way to skin a cat. Daniel Kraus is a great writer, is totally amazing for kids and teens, and nobody can fault him for trying something a little bit different.
Tony Jones
In 2019 he picked over the bones of George A Romero’s zombie legacy with the doorstopper The Living Dead, which although got some great reviews I found hard work. There are very few writers out there with the capability to produce this impressive range of fiction (it’s immaterial whether I dig it or not) and The Ghost That Ate Us is a wacky addition to a highly impressive literary CV. Apart from Neil Gaiman only a handful of authors write for adults, through YA all the way down to Middle Grade.
This latest novel presents itself as a blend of non-fiction or true crime and the endless footnotes failed to convince and I quickly became bored by the goings on surrounding a so-called poltergeist haunting in a fast-food restaurant. The reader is repeatedly given dull and irrelevant facts, here is an example from page 213: “’Cage-free’ and ‘humane meat’ are empty, undefined phases used to pat the heads of queasy carnivores. Each day, 25 million chickens, 4 million pigs, and 800,000 cows are slaughtered.” The book is full of this type of information dropping, none of which added anything in making the book sound authentically non-fiction or realistic, if anything stunted the flow of the plot. It was not convincingly assimilated into the action and I struggled to maintain interest when such statistics were repeatedly fed to the reader and failed to connect with the plot.
The Ghost That Ate Us is written in such a way that the reader is to assume that Daniel Kraus is also the author of the non-fiction account we are reading. However, his personality, motivations or anything else are completely neutral and non-descript. How would I describe his ‘voice’? I couldn’t, as he barely has one. On a couple of occasions, he mentions his other fiction and there is a funny scene where another character has read Rotters, otherwise the voice is as bland as white paint.
Many other authors have dropped themselves in their work, including Stephen King, Bret Easton Ellis, Clive Cussler, Douglas Coupland, Darren Shan and HP Lovecraft to name a few. So, this is nothing new, but it is a pity Daniel Kraus did not make a more convincing job of bringing his personal narrative to life. In contrast, when I read Richard Chizmar’s Chasing the Boogieman I felt I learned a lot about Richard and his personality, this does not happen in The Ghost That Ate Us at all. Chizmar also brought the nostalgia connected to his childhood hometown to life, in contrast the restaurant location Kraus describes is completely lacking character and atmosphere.
The story itself is built around the events of June 1st (2017) where six people were killed at a Burger City franchise off I-80 near Jonny, Iowa, a story which made national headlines. This followed nine months of alleged paranormal activity at the fast-food joint-events popularly known as "the Burger City Poltergeist." Daniel Kraus investigates the events by interviewing those involved, digging into their histories and other aspects of working in the restaurant, including relationships, possible motivations for hoaxes or other non-supernatural avenues of research. All of this had the potential for a good story, but it seemed to be lost in a dull hodgepodge of comments, dull/repetitive characters interviews, irrelevant details and for a book with “poltergeist” in the title, nothing about it convinced.
Most of the humour also misfired and ultimately the final product was a mixed-up mess that just became more and more frustrating as things moved on. I kept on thinking I had missed something, hoping things would pick up, but it never did. Horror laced with comedy is not easy to pull off and although it was an original idea, it was let down by poor execution and in reality it was obviously very difficult to present supposedly true events set in a burger joint sound interesting.
Trying to emulate true crime, especially when attempting to use comedy and potential supernatural events, is not easy and although The Ghost That Ate Us tries its best and I became lost in the bland characters, boring detail and ultimately did not care whether the poltergeist was real or not. John Darnielle was more successful with the recent Devil House (without the comedy) blending fiction with the real-life murder which inspired the eighties hit film River’s Edge showing there is more than one way to skin a cat. Daniel Kraus is a great writer, is totally amazing for kids and teens, and nobody can fault him for trying something a little bit different.
Tony Jones
The Ghost That Ate Us: The Tragic True Story of the Burger City Poltergeist
by Daniel Kraus
You remember the brutal crime, don't you?
Maybe you read about it on Twitter. Maybe a friend sent you a news clip. Maybe you saw it on an episode of Spectral Journeys that night you were flipping through channels, unable to sleep. On June 1, 2017, six people were killed at a Burger City franchise off I-80 near Jonny, Iowa. It was the bizarre and gruesome conclusion to nine months of alleged paranormal activity at the fast-food joint-events popularly known as "the Burger City Poltergeist."
The story inspired Facebook memes, Twitter hashtags, Buzzfeed listicles, Saturday Night Live sketches, and more. But the case was never much more than a punchline...until bestselling writer Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, The Living Dead) decided to head to Iowa to dig up what really happened.
Presented here is the definitive story of "the most exhaustively documented haunting in history," including-for the first time ever-interviews with every living survivor of the tragedy. The employees of Burger City were a family. They loved one another. At least, at the beginning.
Maybe you read about it on Twitter. Maybe a friend sent you a news clip. Maybe you saw it on an episode of Spectral Journeys that night you were flipping through channels, unable to sleep. On June 1, 2017, six people were killed at a Burger City franchise off I-80 near Jonny, Iowa. It was the bizarre and gruesome conclusion to nine months of alleged paranormal activity at the fast-food joint-events popularly known as "the Burger City Poltergeist."
The story inspired Facebook memes, Twitter hashtags, Buzzfeed listicles, Saturday Night Live sketches, and more. But the case was never much more than a punchline...until bestselling writer Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, The Living Dead) decided to head to Iowa to dig up what really happened.
Presented here is the definitive story of "the most exhaustively documented haunting in history," including-for the first time ever-interviews with every living survivor of the tragedy. The employees of Burger City were a family. They loved one another. At least, at the beginning.
CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW
 | |
the heart of horror review websites
It's hard for me to talk about most UK-based folk horror without mentioning – or even thinking of – The Wicker Man, but Rhiannon A Grist's The Queen of the High Fields definitely brings it to mind, dragging the main character of Carys across the waters to a remote island where a small band of devotees protect an ancient secret. But there the similarities end, as this novella delves into a friendship torn apart by cosmic weirdness via some obscure Welsh mythology.
Chapter by chapter, we flick between present and past, slowly learning about Carys' relationship with her friend Angharad and how the events leading them to discover the place known as High Fields changed their lives. The journey back to High Fields is not one Carys is looking forward to, but she's promised to show a curious tourist and his friend around. As secrets both old and new come to light, Carys finds herself more involved in the fate of the island, and her friend, than she was expecting.
The story follows a pretty standard slow burn folk horror format. The flashback sections go into a lot of detail as the two friends read up on the legends surrounding High Fields and the mysterious power the island holds. As much as these sections flesh out the depth of knowledge needed by the characters to understand what they're getting into, they do sometimes detract from the present-day plot, which has more drive to it.
That main plot deals with Carys and Angharad – affectionately known as 'Hazard' – trying to reconcile their old relationship while keeping the island away from prying eyes. This is made a lot harder by the fact that Hazard has achieved godhood, thanks to an old ritual the pair once performed. The weird magic Hazard has tapped into is at once fascinating and worrying, as she sometimes seems out of her depth, and Carys has to help her deal with this. Other than emotional weight, Carys also carries some trauma from her past dealings with the island's power, leading to some unsettling moments where she mentions partially-seen underwater face or other nameless horrors. A subplot involving an investigation by others into the island's power doesn't really start to grip until the final few chapters; it's really the moments between the two leads where the book shines brightest, and those are what kept me interested through to the emotional ending, along with some evocative, weird imagery and the occasional burst of horror.
Ultimately, the decision to have chapters alternate between past and present didn't really work for me – I didn't find much in the flashbacks which needed to be obscured, no mystery or revelation which influences the present-day plot to any great degree. I felt myself wanting to skip past the flashback chapters at times to get back to the present, but do so at your peril, because there's clearly been a lot of thought put into adapting aspects of Welsh mythology into those scenes, and there are still some decent character moments. Despite my misgivings about the way the story is presented, this is still a pleasing read for fans of atmospheric folk horror.
A review by Ben Walker
Chapter by chapter, we flick between present and past, slowly learning about Carys' relationship with her friend Angharad and how the events leading them to discover the place known as High Fields changed their lives. The journey back to High Fields is not one Carys is looking forward to, but she's promised to show a curious tourist and his friend around. As secrets both old and new come to light, Carys finds herself more involved in the fate of the island, and her friend, than she was expecting.
The story follows a pretty standard slow burn folk horror format. The flashback sections go into a lot of detail as the two friends read up on the legends surrounding High Fields and the mysterious power the island holds. As much as these sections flesh out the depth of knowledge needed by the characters to understand what they're getting into, they do sometimes detract from the present-day plot, which has more drive to it.
That main plot deals with Carys and Angharad – affectionately known as 'Hazard' – trying to reconcile their old relationship while keeping the island away from prying eyes. This is made a lot harder by the fact that Hazard has achieved godhood, thanks to an old ritual the pair once performed. The weird magic Hazard has tapped into is at once fascinating and worrying, as she sometimes seems out of her depth, and Carys has to help her deal with this. Other than emotional weight, Carys also carries some trauma from her past dealings with the island's power, leading to some unsettling moments where she mentions partially-seen underwater face or other nameless horrors. A subplot involving an investigation by others into the island's power doesn't really start to grip until the final few chapters; it's really the moments between the two leads where the book shines brightest, and those are what kept me interested through to the emotional ending, along with some evocative, weird imagery and the occasional burst of horror.
Ultimately, the decision to have chapters alternate between past and present didn't really work for me – I didn't find much in the flashbacks which needed to be obscured, no mystery or revelation which influences the present-day plot to any great degree. I felt myself wanting to skip past the flashback chapters at times to get back to the present, but do so at your peril, because there's clearly been a lot of thought put into adapting aspects of Welsh mythology into those scenes, and there are still some decent character moments. Despite my misgivings about the way the story is presented, this is still a pleasing read for fans of atmospheric folk horror.
A review by Ben Walker
THE QUEEN OF THE HIGH FIELDS
BY RHIANNON A GRIST
Two misfits, Carys Price and Angharad 'Hazard' Evans, strike out from their disenfranchised seaside town to take ownership of the High Fields, a mythical island brimming with world-bending promise.
Objecting to the demands of modern society, they hope to find a place where they can live as they choose, but instead they find an ancient power that tears their friendship apart.
Ten years later, Carys returns to the collapsing world of the High Fields to face the terrifying power of the friend-turned-goddess she left behind.
Objecting to the demands of modern society, they hope to find a place where they can live as they choose, but instead they find an ancient power that tears their friendship apart.
Ten years later, Carys returns to the collapsing world of the High Fields to face the terrifying power of the friend-turned-goddess she left behind.
CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW
 | |
THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR REVIEW WEBSITES
BOOK REVIEW: HIDE BY KIERSTEN WHITE
30/6/2022
A deadly game of hide and seek fails to get the blood running
Hide by Kiersten White Publisher : Del Rey; 1st edition (24 May 2022)
Language : English
Paperback : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593499166
ISBN-13 : 978-0593499160
Book Review by Tony Jones
Language : English
Paperback : 240 pages
ISBN-10 : 0593499166
ISBN-13 : 978-0593499160
Book Review by Tony Jones
Kiersten White’s adult debut Hide is blessed with one of the most misleading by-lines I have read in years “The book you need after Squid Game” on its Amazon page. What complete and utter rot. If you buy this book on the back of enjoying the smash South Korean Netflix hit show then you will be deeply, deeply disappointed. All they have in common is the fact that they involve a secret game in which contestants are systematically eliminated, it’s obvious how the killing occurs in Squid Game and is a key ingredient of the mystery in Hide. However, whilst the games played in Squid Game are exceptionally clever, bloody, varied and imaginative, they are the exact opposite in Hide. All the fourteen contestants have to do is hide for long periods and that’s just about it, until something begins to go wrong. Is anybody bored already? I certainly was, and even though this was not a long novel (256-pages) it was a struggle to finish.
Kiersten White is an established YA horror and fantasy writer and previously won the prestigious Bram Stoker Award for the decent The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein back in 2018. Although Hide is pitched as an adult novel I could not shake off numerous YA leanings and perhaps it would have been more successful if it was pitched at that teen audience where there are many similar novels in the same ballpark as this. Instead of having teens as the main characters White shifts up an age-group to the mid-twenties with a group who mostly behave like teens or are dissatisfied with the way their lives have panned out. As events moved on, especially in the closing sections, I was reminded of the popular 1990s YA Point Horror novels and found the ending rather ridiculous. In these types of novels their credibility comes from how the events are framed and this yarn came up short as the blend of thriller and horror failed to click or convince.
In replicating the style of those teen Point Horror novels, the opening pages give a major hint of what lies ahead, by recounting the history of an unnamed amusement park, dating back to 1953. However, jumping forward to the 1970s a little girl disappears and the reputation of the park was ruined and it closed shortly afterwards. Set in modern times, Hide is set in the same fairground which has been left to disintegrate and be reclaimed by nature in the decades which have followed its demise. One would have thought an abandoned fairground would have been an atmospheric location for a horror thriller, but the descriptions were as bland as the game the contestants played.
The plot is based around a simple challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught. The contestants hide for long periods whilst seekers look for them, with two players being eliminated every day. Of course, the competition is shrouded in mystery and there is no wi-fi for budding social media influencers trying to make a name for themselves. Instead, the group find themselves isolated in the middle of nowhere as it slowly dawns on them that things are not as they should be. However, the big cash prize stops the players working as a team, as there can only be one winner and money talks.
Another issue I had with Hide was that there were just too many characters. It did not jump between all fourteen, but the third person narrative featured around half of them, including their back stories and there were very few who were likable and others which were cliché riddled or were obviously carrying baggage or secrets. At various points I also struggled to keep track with who was who and it might have been more successful if it focussed on less characters. As events moved on the story did limit its focus to fewer characters and Mack, a homeless woman with a troubled past, becomes the most interesting and engaging.
Some readers might be surprised the direction the novel takes, but I found it difficult to take it seriously, especially as it was framed as a thriller. Also, the whole idea of hiding in a carousel for ten hours; how on earth can that be sold as ‘entertainment’ for the reader or the poor sucker doing the hiding? As I read Hide I found myself picking holes all over the place, which is never a good sign, and was equally unconvinced by the diary style flashbacks which occur at various points attempting to connect the past and the present.
Hide failed as both a horror and a thriller novel and might have been more successful if it had nailed its colours to one of the masts, instead of hedging its bets and trying to do both. As a thriller it was too ridiculous to be credible and as a horror novel it fell completely flat. Also on the Amazon blurb: “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Neither was I sure about that line, which might scare a ten-year-old middle-grade reader, the problem being the book was not aimed at that demographic and was rather undemanding for its intended audience.
Tony Jones
Kiersten White is an established YA horror and fantasy writer and previously won the prestigious Bram Stoker Award for the decent The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein back in 2018. Although Hide is pitched as an adult novel I could not shake off numerous YA leanings and perhaps it would have been more successful if it was pitched at that teen audience where there are many similar novels in the same ballpark as this. Instead of having teens as the main characters White shifts up an age-group to the mid-twenties with a group who mostly behave like teens or are dissatisfied with the way their lives have panned out. As events moved on, especially in the closing sections, I was reminded of the popular 1990s YA Point Horror novels and found the ending rather ridiculous. In these types of novels their credibility comes from how the events are framed and this yarn came up short as the blend of thriller and horror failed to click or convince.
In replicating the style of those teen Point Horror novels, the opening pages give a major hint of what lies ahead, by recounting the history of an unnamed amusement park, dating back to 1953. However, jumping forward to the 1970s a little girl disappears and the reputation of the park was ruined and it closed shortly afterwards. Set in modern times, Hide is set in the same fairground which has been left to disintegrate and be reclaimed by nature in the decades which have followed its demise. One would have thought an abandoned fairground would have been an atmospheric location for a horror thriller, but the descriptions were as bland as the game the contestants played.
The plot is based around a simple challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught. The contestants hide for long periods whilst seekers look for them, with two players being eliminated every day. Of course, the competition is shrouded in mystery and there is no wi-fi for budding social media influencers trying to make a name for themselves. Instead, the group find themselves isolated in the middle of nowhere as it slowly dawns on them that things are not as they should be. However, the big cash prize stops the players working as a team, as there can only be one winner and money talks.
Another issue I had with Hide was that there were just too many characters. It did not jump between all fourteen, but the third person narrative featured around half of them, including their back stories and there were very few who were likable and others which were cliché riddled or were obviously carrying baggage or secrets. At various points I also struggled to keep track with who was who and it might have been more successful if it focussed on less characters. As events moved on the story did limit its focus to fewer characters and Mack, a homeless woman with a troubled past, becomes the most interesting and engaging.
Some readers might be surprised the direction the novel takes, but I found it difficult to take it seriously, especially as it was framed as a thriller. Also, the whole idea of hiding in a carousel for ten hours; how on earth can that be sold as ‘entertainment’ for the reader or the poor sucker doing the hiding? As I read Hide I found myself picking holes all over the place, which is never a good sign, and was equally unconvinced by the diary style flashbacks which occur at various points attempting to connect the past and the present.
Hide failed as both a horror and a thriller novel and might have been more successful if it had nailed its colours to one of the masts, instead of hedging its bets and trying to do both. As a thriller it was too ridiculous to be credible and as a horror novel it fell completely flat. Also on the Amazon blurb: “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Neither was I sure about that line, which might scare a ten-year-old middle-grade reader, the problem being the book was not aimed at that demographic and was rather undemanding for its intended audience.
Tony Jones
Hide
by Kiersten White
A high-stakes hide-and-seek competition turns deadly in this dark supernatural thriller from New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White, perfect for fans of Stephen King and SQUID GAME.
The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.
The prize: enough money to change everything.
Even though everyone is desperate to win - to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts - Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that.
It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't.
But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.
Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
The challenge: spend a week hiding in an abandoned amusement park and don't get caught.
The prize: enough money to change everything.
Even though everyone is desperate to win - to seize their dream futures or escape their haunting pasts - Mack feels sure that she can beat her competitors. All she has to do is hide, and she's an expert at that.
It's the reason she's alive, and her family isn't.
But as the people around her begin disappearing one by one, Mack realizes this competition is more sinister than even she imagined, and that together might be the only way to survive.
Fourteen competitors. Seven days. Everywhere to hide, but nowhere to run.
Come out, come out, wherever you are.
THE HEART AND SOUL OF HORROR REVIEW WEBSITES
BEDBUGS (Can you see them?): An alien, man-eating insect story by Lee Andrew Taylor
ASIN : B08FP3SVGQ
Publisher : Independently published (16 Aug. 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 342 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8673289266
A book review by Brandi Guarino
ASIN : B08FP3SVGQ
Publisher : Independently published (16 Aug. 2020)
Language : English
Paperback : 342 pages
ISBN-13 : 979-8673289266
A book review by Brandi Guarino
After seventy-three years of lying dormant under Lemonsville, an old terror has awakened, and it is STARVING.
One by one the town’s citizens, both young and old, animal and human, are attacked and used to revive a horde of alien insects bent on world domination.
A group of dedicated police officers set out to contain and destroy the threat to Lemonsville’s citizenry and solve why they are being brutally slaughtered or disappearing without a trace. Even if it means they die trying.
Right from the first page, I knew this was going to be a fun, gory trip of a book. It grabs you by the wrist and pulls you along to fight these bloodthirsty bugs. No one is safe in Lemonsville—young children, elderly persons, animals; everyone and everything is on the menu for the Bugs. So let this be your trigger/content warning.
The story had great pacing and flow; my attention never once wavered. There was great chemistry between the cops themselves, as well as with most of the townsfolk. You feel the dread and fear of the victims, and the anger of the townsfolk who want answers as to what and who is causing scene after scene of carnage. If you weren’t afraid of bugs before this, you will be now.
Even though the story is bloody and brutal, there are moments of hilarity and some tongue-in-cheek jokes. I loved the camaraderie between the officers of the force and their chief.
All in all, I really enjoyed Bedbugs, and I’m never going to bed without checking under my bedsheets again.
4/5 Stars
Thank you to author Lee Andrew Taylor for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
One by one the town’s citizens, both young and old, animal and human, are attacked and used to revive a horde of alien insects bent on world domination.
A group of dedicated police officers set out to contain and destroy the threat to Lemonsville’s citizenry and solve why they are being brutally slaughtered or disappearing without a trace. Even if it means they die trying.
Right from the first page, I knew this was going to be a fun, gory trip of a book. It grabs you by the wrist and pulls you along to fight these bloodthirsty bugs. No one is safe in Lemonsville—young children, elderly persons, animals; everyone and everything is on the menu for the Bugs. So let this be your trigger/content warning.
The story had great pacing and flow; my attention never once wavered. There was great chemistry between the cops themselves, as well as with most of the townsfolk. You feel the dread and fear of the victims, and the anger of the townsfolk who want answers as to what and who is causing scene after scene of carnage. If you weren’t afraid of bugs before this, you will be now.
Even though the story is bloody and brutal, there are moments of hilarity and some tongue-in-cheek jokes. I loved the camaraderie between the officers of the force and their chief.
All in all, I really enjoyed Bedbugs, and I’m never going to bed without checking under my bedsheets again.
4/5 Stars
Thank you to author Lee Andrew Taylor for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
BEDBUGS (Can you see them?): An alien, man-eating insect story
by Lee Taylor
‘NIGHT, NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT AND DON’T LET THE BEDBUGS BITE’
In 1947, around the same time as the Roswell alien landing, another UFO crashed to earth, falling deep within the soil of Lemonsville County, UK.
And during the night five people were slaughtered.
But nothing happened for the next 73 years.
In 2020, an earth tremor shook Lemonsville to leave an opening for the new killers of the night to attack.
Now, the local police chief and his small group of officers must find a way to solve the mystery of why people are being killed or have gone missing?
It takes him on a journey to the past, where his grandfather was a witness to the original murders, but, as the chief tries to uncover what happened all those years ago, more and more people are being killed.
Will he work out the link and save the people of Lemonsville, or will he too fall to be destroyed by the things that want to take over the WORLD?
The BEDBUGS are coming!!!
In 1947, around the same time as the Roswell alien landing, another UFO crashed to earth, falling deep within the soil of Lemonsville County, UK.
And during the night five people were slaughtered.
But nothing happened for the next 73 years.
In 2020, an earth tremor shook Lemonsville to leave an opening for the new killers of the night to attack.
Now, the local police chief and his small group of officers must find a way to solve the mystery of why people are being killed or have gone missing?
It takes him on a journey to the past, where his grandfather was a witness to the original murders, but, as the chief tries to uncover what happened all those years ago, more and more people are being killed.
Will he work out the link and save the people of Lemonsville, or will he too fall to be destroyed by the things that want to take over the WORLD?
The BEDBUGS are coming!!!
Brandi Guarino
Brandi Guarino is a voracious reader and has a To Be Read list that never ends. She is passionate and committed to championing the work of independent writers and publishers in horror, science fiction, and fantasy. She is on Twitter at @bgbibliophile and Instagram at www.instagram.com/brandi_the_bibliophile.
CHECK OUT TODAY'S OTHER ARTICLES BELOW
| |  |
The heart and soul of horror review websites
RSS Feed
Archives
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
December 2012
|
|