Not Enough Midnights is an exciting, weird-west story by professional storyteller Michael Merriam. The story jumps straight to action in late 1800's ONot Enough Midnights is an exciting, weird-west story by professional storyteller Michael Merriam. The story jumps straight to action in late 1800's Oklahoma-Territory. Settlers in the prairie towns are vanishing. Ghostly drumming fills the air at night. And snakes. Lots and lots of snakes. But there's something much worse than rattlesnakes haunting the prairie. Myths of a legendary monster might be true...
The President of the United States, Benjamin Harrison, calls on former US Marshal Jefferson Stottlemyre to check it out. Good thing Stottlemyre has some tricks up his sleeve. Like a rifle made by Nikola Tesla. And a lycanthropic friend. A dash of ancestral magic. And more south-western moxie than you can shake a six-gun at. He's gonna need it because the stars are right, and an ancient evil is stirring......more
Another entertaining paranormal misadventure from the mind that brought you Wisconsin Vamp, Undead Cheesehead and Northwoods Wolfman. The first personAnother entertaining paranormal misadventure from the mind that brought you Wisconsin Vamp, Undead Cheesehead and Northwoods Wolfman. The first person POV character August is snarky and funny as hell. He's a "Post-Relationship Personal Effects Repossession Specialist" in other words, the guy you hire when you want that signed Oasis CD back from your ex. August is also a PN, or paranormal. A shapeshifter. Which is handy when you're hunted by Air Elementals, Succubi, Bridge Trolls and Necromancers with terrible fashion sense. There's more supernatural characters in this book than you can shake a Wand of Wonder at. The story takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota so grab your flannel and a pop and... well, I couldn't think of a way to tie Diablo Cody into this review, but managed to do it anyway.
This is a fun quick read with excellent writing. And seriously, if you enjoy this book, then make sure to check out the rest of Scott Burtness' work. ...more
A Wish Upon a Fallen Sky is a clever collection of short, speculative fiction stories by Minneapolis Author, Rob Callahan. The stories vary in length,A Wish Upon a Fallen Sky is a clever collection of short, speculative fiction stories by Minneapolis Author, Rob Callahan. The stories vary in length, and you may think the shortest are only a couple pages long, but when you get to Appendix A, you'll find a treasure trove of twitter-length stories (back when twitter kept it real at 140 characters)
Appendix B contains artwork and story covers inspired by Rob's writing, and created by illustrator Whittney A Streeter.
Keep your eyes open for a hidden track. Oh, and the pop culture references. If you don't see the humor in "Episode for a New Hope" then... well, I can't help you. But even if you're pop-culture blind you'll still enjoy a battle of wits between a circus trapeze and a safety net, brain controlling spiders, and what happens when everyone becomes telepathic.
Plenty of quick, fun reads by a damn fine storyteller....more
Scott Burtness gives a refreshing, Midwestern twist on the vampire mythos in his debut novel, Wisconsin Vamp. The protagonist, Herb Knudsen, lives in Scott Burtness gives a refreshing, Midwestern twist on the vampire mythos in his debut novel, Wisconsin Vamp. The protagonist, Herb Knudsen, lives in a small town in rural Wisconsin, drinking beer with his bowling buddies and working as a short-order cook at the local greasy spoon. When Herb is bitten by a vampire-mosquito, Herb doesn't become your average vampire.
Herb doesn't hang out at the local goth club casually drinking blood from a wine glass while listening to Switchblade Symphony. Quite the opposite. Herb wears a flannel shirt, drives a beat up Pinto and hangs out at the bowling alley and the local strip club, Nekked's. Herb's adventures discovering his new powers and weaknesses make for a fun adventure.
The writing is pro, and the pace is snappy. The Midwestern attitude of Jennifer's Body meets The Lost Boys on the bowling lanes of The Big Lebowski in this smartly written horror/comedy. If you enjoy this, then check out the sequels in Scott's 'Monsters in the Midwest' series....more
I do love it when authors create a unique backstory for their worlds. I love it even more when they flesh them out into an entire mythology. And betteI do love it when authors create a unique backstory for their worlds. I love it even more when they flesh them out into an entire mythology. And better still when they present it with style, design and artwork that you'll find in The Book Of Cain.
This book is a journey through time (presented in a journal format) that starts at The Capital-B Beginning, and covers aeons of demonic/angelic creation, wars, marches, purges, betrayals, forbidden romances, and even the creation of the universe you'll explore in Diablo. Each of the angels and demons are listed, described and illustrated in all their heavenly/hellish glory.
Typically, the fight between good and evil is assumed. Demons want to kill you because, well, they're demons! But The Book of Cain does an amazing job of setting up humanity to be a point of contention between the two sides. I appreciate the engaging backstory, and bonus points for including a foldout map in the back.
I've never played any of the Diablo series, but this fascinating trip through the mythology of the world makes me want to check it out. (too bad the game isn't on Steam...)...more
The storytelling in A Dark Matter is unique, and may not necessarily click with all readers. The story itself rarely Happens during the moments the stThe storytelling in A Dark Matter is unique, and may not necessarily click with all readers. The story itself rarely Happens during the moments the story is Told. Similar to "IT" by Stephen King, A Dark Matter concerns events which happened in the history of a group of friends. But where Stephen King's story would bounce back and forth in time between adult/kids events, A Dark Matter is strictly recounted from the adults' time/pov. This means there is much reminiscing, remembering, interviewing, etc. There were also a fair number of time jumps and retellings of the same past events from different, present perspectives.
The fact that Peter Straub could actually DO this and still maintain the levels of quality and ease of comprehension (I was never lost as to where I was in the story or what was happening) is a testament to his abilities as a writer. The fact that it wasn't really necessary for telling the story did often take me out of the story. I would often wonder why he didn't just drop the adult wraparound story, and write the straight-up, YA adventure of when the story actually took place. Because of the reminiscing, there was a lack of immediacy, and definitely a lack of worry that the characters might die, since they were all alive and telling the story in the present day.
Straub's character writing is golden. He puts you into the heads of the characters so well, that I can't even imagine how a filmmaker would represent this. This is one major reason for reading stories in a text format.
The story is more mystery than horror, although there are some horrific elements, they are very brief, and not the main concern of the story. The action/adventure of the teenage-events are muted by the "let's get the gang together and clarify what exactly happened on that fateful night."
Recommended for those who enjoy a good character study, and quality writing that is dark yet easy on the horror spices....more
Térata is a great example of speculative fiction: nanotech, DNA manipulation, tarot cards, alternate realities and talking swords that absorb souls. ATérata is a great example of speculative fiction: nanotech, DNA manipulation, tarot cards, alternate realities and talking swords that absorb souls. All the things are here in a high energy story.
Michael’s writing is snappy and clean. Térata almost reads like a graphic novel, with quick, broad strokes. The sense of humor is superb, the timing of the jokes breaks the tension perfectly. And a broad range of pop culture references abounds. Much of the dialog contains a clever snarkiness and biting wit.
Joy to the Worlds is a delightful collection of eight Holiday-Season-Themed Speculative Fiction stories written by four authors.
Maia Chance, Janine A.Joy to the Worlds is a delightful collection of eight Holiday-Season-Themed Speculative Fiction stories written by four authors.
Maia Chance, Janine A. Southard, Raven Oak and G. Clemans serve up an entertaining variety of dark fiction, science fiction, mystery and fantasy stories to spice up your holiday season! Santa in space! Supernatural murder-mystery solved by the undead! Time travel! Krampus!
Quality of the stories range from average to excellent, but overall a very enjoyable read.
Cthulhu: Dark Fantasy, Horror & Supernatural Movies (Gothic Dreams) is a graphic-rich but info-thin overview of the world of Cthulhu.
The book skirts Cthulhu: Dark Fantasy, Horror & Supernatural Movies (Gothic Dreams) is a graphic-rich but info-thin overview of the world of Cthulhu.
The book skirts away from HP Lovecraft himself, minimizing his life and other works to focus primarily on the core Cthulhu mythos.
The first 48 pages include a handful of early influences and definition of the 'mythos' including a list of the established Cthulhu canon.
The remainder of the 128-page book dwells on what the mythos influenced: stories, movies, music, artwork, video games and graphic novels.
The listing of resources at the end of the book is laughably thin: only 9 fiction works, (less than half of which are actual Lovecraft) 5 non-fiction, and 8 websites. Readers can compile a better list themselves from the text, but it's too bad they skimped here. It could have been a nice resource. Instead, it's a good starting place.
The book is gorgeous, with quality pictures on each page. I can't say I've ever seen such a prolific collection of Cthulhu pix in one place, so the artwork is worth at least as much as the text.
This is probably more geared towards the unknowing "What's all this Cuh-THOO-loo stuff I keep hearing tell about?" But those familiar with Lovecraft's work will still enjoy the artwork....more
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