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Book Review: Fungoid by William Meikle

Fungoid by William Meikle

DarkFuse, 2016

ISBN: 9781940544748

Available:  paperback, ebook

The end of the world starts with a rainstorm. Within the rain droplets are small fungoid spores. Every living thing they fall upon develops a fast-spreading infection that immediately reduces them to a itching, writhing mass of bleeding flesh as they scratch, and scratch, and scratch, to try to relieve themselves of the painful itch. Soon, the infection takes a more devious form, able to acclimate to anything the human population devises to protect themselves. The fungus is evolving.

This is a fast-paced read, full of suspense, intriguing characters, science, and a planet-wide apocalypse. It goes back and forth from the perspective of different characters with different motivations. Shaun is trying desperately to get to his family and will stop at nothing to do so. Rohit, a mycologist, observes firsthand what the infection does to the human body when a student voluntarily wanders outside when the droning sound of the fungus gets to him. The reader also sees what happens to a person’s mind from the perspective of one of the infected as it takes hold of Jim, and won’t let him go.

I think the only criticism I have is in regards to the way Rohit’s research of who may be responsible for the global catastrophe is presented. He goes to the university library’s databases, which is good, and discovers the list of who accessed the article previously. We librarians guard our patrons’ usage information with a passion, so this information wouldn’t be openly available. Otherwise, this book was fantastic. Meikle is a great storyteller, and I am most familiar with his Carnacki stories. In fact, there is a nod to the great detective of the supernatural in this book. Recommended.

Contains: some body horror

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on December 23, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney

A Mighty Rolling Thunder by Kerry Alan Denney

Burning Willow Press, 2016

ASIN: B01N3JL331

Available: Kindle edition

 

It is called “The Event”.  The skies suddenly darken accompanied by booming thunder, flashing lightning and pounding rain.  World- wide, over half of the human population disappears.  Those remaining are filled with dark spirits or bright spirits, depending on their character.  Is this the Rapture promised in the Bible, or a rupture in the barrier between fairy and human worlds?

Livi is a beautiful, gifted artist who paints prophetic pictures of a fantastic, future world.  She is stripped of her friends and pursued by “shadow-mans”, flawed men possessed by the dark spirits.  Her hopes of escape and asylum rest with others who also have gifts from the bright spirits, the “sparkle-angels”.  One of their gifts is the ability to telepathically hear the thoughts of their loyal dogs. Livi is the key to whether the dark spirits or the bright spirits triumph.

She takes refuge at a farm in rural South Carolina owned by Conor and his wife, and meets children who survived massacres by marauding “shadow-mans”. Conor has lost his memory and the bright and dark spirits are battling for control of him.

Livi’s greatest threat is from Victor, a wealthy art connoisseur, who has bought or stolen paintings of the future world by Livi and another gifted artist.  He derives power from the paintings and women, whom he seduces or rapes.  Victor believes that when he ravishes Livi, he will become a god, controlling the dark power of the fairy world on earth.  He captures Livi and brings her to his fortress. Can Conor and his friends rescue her and save the world from domination by “shadow-mans”?

The author, Kerry Alan Denney, has written other successful novels that combine fantasy, the supernatural, science fiction and horror.  The plot of A Mighty Rolling Thunder is imaginative and is well paced.  Its characters are one-dimensional, but effectively sympathetic or despicable.  However, I am worried that the author went overboard in portraying Victor, whom Livi calls a “misogynistic, paranoid, schizophrenic psychopath”.  The many descriptions of Victor’s stiffening “little god” and desire to spread his “demon seed” when he thinks of his victims will disturb some readers.  Denney also uses offensive, racist language and stereotypes, including the “N_____ word”, several times, which will also be upsetting to readers. Not recommended.

Contains: Violence, gore, and strong sexual and offensive language

 

Reviewed by Robert D. Yee


Posted on November 6, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone

 The Hatching by Ezekiel Boone

ISBN: 9781501125041

Available: Kindle ebook, print

Release date: July 2016

 

Spiders. Man-eating spiders. Highly cooperative man-eating spiders. I’m relatively certain that I twitched my way through this book.

The Hatching begins in the jungles of Peru, with a guide leading  Minnesota businessman Henderson and three women on a path, when their seemingly quiet walk through the jungle is disturbed by a man screaming and making his way toward them. Their way is further blocked by what appears to be black liquid. The black substance washes over the poor man, sending the group running through the jungle.

The story then focuses on FBI Agent Rich in Minneapolis, who is investigating a fatal plane crash. He makes a gruesome discovery after a large spider crawls out of the face of one of the unfortunate passengers, who turns out to be Henderson. We learn that other countries are facing a similar problem, but no one is communicating, and things continue to unravel around the world.

In Washington, D.C., Professor Melanie Guyer receives a mysterious package from a dig site in Nazca, Peru. Inside is an ancient egg sac that contains a never-before-discovered spider that breeds at an alarming rate and has a taste for flesh.  The rest is the stuff of nightmares.

What unfolds are stories of different people all over the world trying to make sense of everything. The lives of the characters touch each other briefly or are more intimately entwined. The chapters jump from one location to another, but the way the story is told, it makes sense for them to do so. It actually adds to the confusion the characters feel, and also provides the reader at times with what is going on in multiple regions.

There are a few characters I really enjoyed. United States President Stephanie Pilgrim is a no-nonsense, strong, female character. She’s able to make quick decisions, but knows when she need to consult outside resources before making decisions like grounding worldwide travel. The survivalists of Desperation, California, including husband and wife Gordo and Amy and their friends, Shotgun and Fred (the town’s only gay survivalist couple), are an enjoyable crew.  Their characters are well-developed, and I enjoyed the dynamics and friendship between them.

I found the pacing to be a bit slow going at the beginning , but once the story picks up, it keeps a fast pace. It is also a frightening book. The way Boone describes the movement of the groups of spiders and how they act in a confined space within Dr. Guyer’s laboratory is disturbing. I read it in a relatively short time. I can’t tell if that was pure enjoyment or if I just wanted to see what happened with the spiders…ugh. This is a very good read. Fair warning, though: if you don’t like spiders, it would probably be best for you to stay away from this one. Recommended.

Note: The Hatching ends on a cliffhanger. Based on the author’s Goodreads page, he’s working on the next one, Skitter. Recommended.

Contains: a lot of spiders, some gore

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on July 20, 2016 by , Reply
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