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Book Review: Conquer (John Conquer Series, Book 1) by Edward M. Erdelac

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Conquer (John Conquer Series, Book 1) by Edward M. Erdelac

Independently published, 2020

ISBN: 9798579334848

Available : Paperback, Kindle edition

 

Harlem, 1976: an era of bad clothes, bad habits, and bad music.  From this scene emerges John Conquer, private investigator, and the baddest brother around.  How bad?  Well, “didn’t he kung-fu Frankenstein off the marquee at the Apollo, and bust him to pieces with John Henry’s hammer?  Didn’t he go fishin’ and catch the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and throw him back because he was too small!  He played ball with Dr. J in Rucker Park, and let him win!”  Conquer is a folk hero to Harlem, and his exploits have grown into legend among the locals.  These are his stories.

 

Conquer consists of seven short stories, three were previously published in Occult Detective Quarterly in 2017.  The stories are consistently entertaining, if a bit formulaic at the beginning of each story.  They usually start with Detective Lou Lazzaroni of the NYPD being assigned a case.  Lou realizes that the cases have a supernatural bent to them, and that’s where John Conquer steps in.  Although he’s a standard PI, Conquer also has a deep knowledge of voodoo, hoodoo, and all kinds of occult stuff, as he was partially raised in Louisiana, America’s capital of pagan weirdness.  It’s up to Conquer to solve the cases and save the day.

 

Author Erdelac has done a nice job writing a horror period piece: his portrayal of the late 1970s feels quite authentic, both in terms of setting (ox-blood leather coats, linoleum, lava lamps, etc.) and dialogue.  The dialogue feels very accurate with its terminology and phrasing, and does a good job transporting the reader back to another time in American history.  After Conquer is brought onto each case, the author shifts gears and shows a strong flair for creativity.  Readers might assume that voodoo automatically means zombies, but only one story actually has the undead.  Instead, Erdelac does a nice job cross-pollinating various African and Asian mythologies into the story.  Examples include a Slip-Skin Hag (or ‘boo hag’), a Popobawa (a bat-wing creature) and a monster based on Dahomeyan beliefs that defies easy categorization.  He did an excellent job researching these creatures for the book, but there are times when a little more explanation would have helped.  Unless you’ve read Wade Davis’s The Serpent and the Rainbow, terms like bokor, vodoun, veve, and Papa Legba are likely to sail over the heads of most readers, sending them scrambling for Wikipedia.

 

The stories are fast with no wasted time. Conquer dives right into the action, destroying villains with often-creative methods, such as cigarettes laced with sage for exorcising demons, and a pocket-coating powder that renders pickpockets immobile and subject to Conquer’s commands.  Part of the character’s appeal is that he doesn’t just blast away with his Colt Python, but often relies on his own magic methods to beat the baddies at their own game.  Special mention must be made of a fantastic secondary character, in the form of the ghost of a dead pimp that haunts Conquer’s car, and speaks to him through the radio.   This also allows Conquer to control the car through voice command, when the ghost agrees.  It’s like a bizarre 1970s version of the television show Knight Rider, and the back and forth squabbling provides unexpected and welcome hilarity.

 

Overall, Conquer is a welcome horror novel throwback to another era.  Let’s hope for more from Conquer and company in the future.  Recommended.

 

 

Contains:  violence, profanity

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on February 16, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland

Deathless Divide (Dread Nation #2) by Justina Ireland

Balzer + Bray, 2020

ISBN-13: 9780062570635

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook, MP3 CD

 

Deathless Divide is the sequel to Dread Nation (reviewed here).  The story is told through both Jane and Katherine’s points of view.

After the fall of the Survivalists’ community of Summerland, Jane McKeene thought her journey would be easier—  better somehow– but nothing is ever easy for a Miss Preston’s girl. She prepares to leave the ruins of Summerland behind and head west to California. However, she doesn’t go alone. She is joined by her friend Jackson, his sister Lily, the Duchess and her girls, and Katherine Deveraux.

The first half of the book focuses on the journey to Nicodemus,  a community where Black and Native American peoples are not seen as less than. Before the group arrives in Nicodemus, Jane is faced with a loss that is more than she can bear, and one that will haunt her throughout her new path. Nicodemus also is not what it seems. It appears to have a well-protected wall, with some kind of railgun contraption that runs continuously, and was clearly created by someone scientifically minded. Upon their arrival, the team is met with survivors from Summerland who recognize Jane, and call for her to hang for the murder of a prominent figure in their former community. Jane is taken into custody by Daniel Redfern, now sheriff, and what follows helps Jane determine her next move, for good or ill.

Katherine and Jane have always had a contentious relationship, so when it comes to joining Jane and the others, she strives to do her best to be cordial and ladylike. However, Jane’s decision-making causes Katherine some worry, and their verbal sparring between them takes its toll. At one point, Jane’s mood becomes so unbearable to Katherine that she encourages the wagons to move on ahead while Kate and Jane trade fisticuffs to help Jane work out her emotions. It is clear that the women need each other now more than ever. Their relationship is tested, however, on more than one occasion.

I am loathe to discuss more of the content as it will give away a lot of the twists and turns this novel takes, and there are quite a few. Thankfully, they don’t feel forced or cheap. Ireland weaves a great tale and has a way of writing that keeps the reader’s attention from the first page. This book evoked so many emotions. Jane and Katherine were incredible characters in Dread Nation, but they seem to have so much more depth in this book. Seeing the story from both points of view provided an excellent way to establish them further as their own characters and see how they each handle difficult situations and process emotions and hardships. The development of their friendship throughout the book is beautiful and realistically portrayed. Of course, the scenes where they both put down the shamblers are fantastic.

I would recommend this book for anyone who enjoyed the first book. I would recommend both books for anyone who likes alternative historical fiction and a good zombie story. Anyone looking for #ownvoices stories should pick this one up. We also see LGBTQ+ themes as Jane is involved a loving relationship with another female character, and Katherine is a great depiction of an ace character. Deathless Divide is suitable for young adult audiences.

Contains: blood, gore, murder, racial slurs, slavery, torture, violence

Highly recommended

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on May 18, 2020 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivela

Abbott by Saladin Ahmed, art by Sami Kivelä

BOOM! Studios, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1684152452

Available:  Paperback, Kindle, comiXology

Hugo Award-nominated novelist Saladin Ahmed gives us the story of journalist Elena Abbott, who is investigating police brutality and corruption in 1972 Detroit. There are crimes being committed by the very people sworn to protect and serve. Elena doesn’t shy away from controversy, and isn’t afraid to ruffle a few feathers. One of her recent reports, however, has received the attention of some racist white men who own the paper, and she’s been ordered to work on other, less interesting, cases. Instead, she discovers supernatural forces controlled by a secret society made up of the city’s elite. However, these forces are not unknown to her. After all, her husband was taken by the shadowy Umbra. When she’s chased down by masked men and creatures that are stitched together from remains of animals and Black citizens, things get messier for our intrepid reporter.

Abbott doesn’t just face the Umbra (the raised and stitched creatures), and the dark society that cultivates them, but also racism, sexism, and, to some degree, homophobia, in this dark tale. Looking at other reviewers’ words to describe Abbott, one rings out clear: badass. She really is. She is the only Black reporter on staff at her paper, she loves her brandy, and smokes incessantly. While she exhibits a healthy fear of the shadows closing in on her, she never backs down in moments of stress, especially when it comes to her convictions. The social and historical commentary is important for us to read today. For the other strong readers out there, do yourself a favour and pick up Abbott. Ahmed pens an excellent story, and artist Sami Kivelä provides incredible illustrations. They make an excellent team for this book. I need to search out other work both of them have created. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, misogyny, police brutality, racism

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Editor’s note: Abbott is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel. 

Posted on May 2, 2019 by , Reply