Book Reviews

THE REAL MEN IN BLACK When I hear the term “men in black”, I am often reminded of film fare, paranoia and a simplified classification of government agencies who send out agents to investigate reports of interest. We certainly had our share of X-files, Millennium groups and tv show personnel who dressed in a similar manner that we knew what …

BLOODRUSH by Bryan Smith (Delirium Books – July 2011) David Rucker wakes up to a scene of shocking violence. Blood and body parts are everywhere. At first, he has no memory of who he is or how he wound up unconscious in the midst of all this carnage. The mental fog engulfing him begins to clear and recognition dawns. The …

THE MONSTER GALLERY COLORING BOOK Copyright 1973,Trubadour Press. Reprinted in1980 by Starstream Products with permission. Text by Leah Waskey Illustrated by Mark Savee Well, Maniacs! Let me welcome you to the Vintage Zone at horrornews.net. I’m sure that some of you are wondering “Monstermatt, a coloring book? Come on,you can’t be serious?!” Of Corpse , I am! It’s true.I’m going to share …

BLOOD WAR The novel Blood War by Dylan J. Morgan is the second novel I have read by this up and coming author (Hosts was the first and it was excellent). First off I must say that Dylan J. Morgan has an excellent talent for writing and actually has a wonderful grasp on the English language, which is hard to …

WONDROUS STRANGE I’m ashamed to admit that I wasn’t aware of this author until perusing this year’s Bram Stoker nominations. It was an Alice in Wonderland moment. I say this because a short while later, I found myself immersed in the wondrously strange land of Robin Sprigg’s writing. And I’m kicking myself for not having discovered him sooner. As a …

THE GAKI AND OTHER HUNGRY SPIRITS by Stephen Mark Rainey (Dark Regions Press) Strange Shapes hiding in the shadows cast by the moonlight. Eerie noises drifting out of the forest and rising into the night. The sound of inhuman footsteps approaching from somewhere in the darkness. A pair of gleaming eyes peering in through your window at midnight. This is …

ROTTERS “My father spoke, and still I tried to listen, but my ears buzzed with the low hum of disease. He told me, and I tried to understand, that what we had done was something ancient and possibly noble, but also vilified and to be undertaken with the utmost solemnity; and that, most importantly, it was a craft passed down …

VISIONS OF THE MULTIVERSE Multiverses, quantum physics, worm holes, time-space…these are no light matter (pun intended). In fact you may have some familiarity with these thru recent films and tv shows that spout out bits and pieces to engage viewers. Well look no further than Steven Manly’s new book by the title of “Visions of the MultIverse.” I love the …

DREAMS THE RAGMAN (Delirium Books) by Greg F. Gifune As a young boy Derrick listened to his grandfather’s spooky tales of “The Ragman,” an old junk dealer and boogieman of sorts to the children in the neighborhood who he claimed had followed him throughout his entire life and stalked him from the depths of his own worst nightmares. But as …

FIFTEEN MINUTES by William Ollie (Dark Regions Press) It is a ring, forged deep within the jungles of Ecuador, centuries ago. Sixteen-year-old Simon had no idea what he was getting into when his mother packed him off to spend the summer at Granny’s house. A cat’s eye ring with mystical powers. The first thing he noticed was the hip clothing, …

DARK THINGS II Dark Things II edited by Ty Schwamberger is yet another well put together anthology from Pill Hill Press. After reading the first of the Dark Things books I was very excited to get a chance to read another. Once again we have a very different assortment of stories from demons and angels to ghosts and zombies, this …

ASYLUM LAKE I could be wrong (it’s usually the case), but I believe this is the author’s debut novel. It certainly bodes well for the future. Asylum Lake is a good old-fashioned horror novel – accessible, creepy and eminently readable. It tells of a writer, Brady Tanner, returning to his home-town of Bedlam Falls. (Bedlam, in case you don’t know, …

JACKS MAGIC BEANS I eagerly await every new Brian Keene release. Without a doubt, I am a huge fan as should you be. This man is amazing and to date I have yet to read anything that has not totally blown me away and I’m glad to say that the streak continues with Jack’s Magic Beans. Jack’s Magic Beans is …

Dan Rhodes writes like Roald Dahl on some bad acid. I say that as a compliment. The story begins by introducing us to a sinister old man who survives on a diet of chocolate cake and spiders. He’s the curator at a German museum dedicated to suicide. The museum is supposed to be a deterrent. However such is the bleakness …

WILLY (Uninvited Books) by Robert Dunbar In a school for boys with emotional problems, a disturbed adolescent struggles against a mire of superstition and oppression. Then he meets Willy … and the other boy – charismatic and strange – saves him. Or damns him. Robert Dunbar’s new book “Willy” is one of the most powerful and compelling books I have …