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Book Review: What Happens in the Darkness by Monica J. O’ Rourke

What Happens in the Darkness by Monica J. O’Rourke

Sinister Grin Press, 2013

ISBN: 978-0983911883

Availability: paperback

 

The United States has been attacked by its enemies. Cities are devastated, and now vampires, previously hidden, are running rampant, and looking to take over. Janelle is a twelve-year-old girl trying to survive the aftermath of war in New York City and discovers her mother is one of the vampires.

Jeff was guarding some of the most powerful vampires at an army base in upstate New York. He releases them, only to end up a vampire himself, against his will. Martin, their leader, will try to protect him as long as he stays loyal. Unfortunately, Jeff’s loyalties are divided.

Monica O’Rourke has written an intriguing take on the (sometimes) tired vampire sub-genre. Her characters are interesting, and the storylines, especially Jeff and Janelle’s, are quite compelling. I enjoyed reading a story in which America was a weakened victim of the Global Dominion, with the possibility that the country might not survive. It’s not the extreme horror that I have come to love by O’Rourke, although there is a horrific rape scene that I found quite disturbing. What Happens in the Darkness is an excellent read. Recommended.

Contains: blood, gore, violence, adult situations, rape, and profanity.

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on April 11, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Say Anything But Your Prayers by Alan M. Clark

Say Anything But Your Prayers by Alan M. Clark

Lazy Fascist Press, 2014

ISBN-13: 9781621051572

Availability: paperback

 

Alan M. Clark is best known for his beautiful, award winning covers and illustrations that have graced bestselling works from authors such as Stephen King and Cody Goodfellow. His art is amazing, but many forget that he was also nominated for a Bram Stoker award for co-writing Siren Promised with Jeremy Robert Johnson. Alan, along with his artist’s eye for detail has also written historical horror.

 

This book is the second in a groundbreaking series that explores the Jack the Ripper legend, from an angle never before seen, in over a century of non-fiction and fiction inspired by the serial killer. Each book in the series follows the life of one of the killer’s victims. This second book follows the life and demise of Elizabeth Stride, the fourth victim.

 

While this novel could be considered horror, the historical elements are what make it so interesting. I admit, I knew very little about Elizabeth Stride before reading this book. Anyone looking for a cover-to-cover horror experience needs to look elsewhere. However, you can’t escape the main character’s fate as you go through her life, and tension builds because the reader knows how she will meet her gruesome end.

 

Clark includes a few key illustrations, but the real strength comes from his attention to detail, and the humanizing of Elizabeth Stride, which builds sympathy for a doomed character. This book is a must for people with an interest in the Ripper and I hope that libraries will carry it. Recommended

 

Contains: gore, adult situations.

Reviewed by David Agranoff

Posted on April 11, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls by Mark McLaughlin

Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls by Mark McLaughlin

Wildside Press, 2014

Available: New paperback

ISBN-13: 978-1479401888

 

Hideous Faces, Beautiful Skulls is a wonderful collection of horror and the bizarre that spans the author’s career of original and compelling storytelling.

Among my favorites are “The Final Broadcast of Sugarville’s Channel 7 Action News,” an entertaining take on global warming and the destruction of the planet told in its entirety through the station’s final news broadcast; “Drool Tool: The Meltdown Mix”, about a band’s weird music that has a catastrophic effect on the people who hear it; “Agatha Says”, which deals with the weird changes taking place at a nursing home recently bought by an eccentric resident; “Claws of the Internet Witches”, which follows the internet chat room of a coven of witches out to destroy humanity; and “Soft Bones”, about a young man with a debilitating disease, and how one woman tries to help him.

 

There isn’t a bad story in the collection. McLaughlin’s style of writing is weird, quirky, and at times squirm-inducing; a very entertaining read. What I really like about McLaughlin’s writing is his ability to inject dry humor into even the most horrific of tales. If you like your horror weird, bizarre, and funny, then Hideous Faces, Beautiful Faces is right up your alley. Recommended.

Contains: blood and gore

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

Posted on April 4, 2015 by , Reply
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