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Book Review: Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast by Jonathan Winn

Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast  by Jonathan Winn

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2015

ISBN 9780994679345

Available: print, Kindle ebook

Eidolon Avenue: The First Feast contains five novellas set on the first floor of an apartment building. Each apartment houses residents who have dangerous secrets revealed to the reader through the walls of the apartments.

The first story, and one of the best ones, is about a Chinese woman named Lucky, haunted by the dead she created over a lifetime. Poor and turned out of her family’s house as a child, she was left homeless and desperate. Yin Ying finds her and takes her to the home of Madame Xuo, where Lucky learns the secret of the inky black shadow that makes Madame invincible, but at a price. Another excellent story is the last one, focusing on a little girl named Umbra who can negatively impact the lives of those around her with a mere thought. I would have liked to read more about her.

The second and third stories are probably the most gruesome of the lot, and I didn’t really connect with them. It seems as though the author wanted to go for shock value, which he accomplished, and the gross outs were very effective. The second story in the book told of a tattooed drunk who left his drug addict mother to die. I get that the author was trying to convey that the main character was awful, but there was too much detail for me. I also didn’t find the ending very satisfying. The third tale is about a frat boy serial killer and his skeevy friend who follows him around as he’s killing, and playing with the corpses afterward. This is another story that seems to be going for shock value– it’s like he is trying to top himself from the previous one. It was a unique tale regardless.

The fourth story, about an elderly couple who consistently fail murder/suicide pacts every time they attempt it, is alternatively humorous, heart-wrenching, gross, and dark. Marta enlists the aid of a Mr. Peabody who proves to be more than he seems.

Despite my reaction to two of the five stories, overall I would like to see the continuation of the stories of this apartment building. According to the author, there are five total floors with the first covered. I hope he does continue this series. It will be interesting to see what else he creates within these walls. Recommended.

Contains body horror, gore, necrophilia, sex

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on March 25, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: The Booking by Ramsey Campbell

The Booking by Ramsey Campbell, illustrated by Santiago Caruso
Dark Regions Press, 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1-62641-139-5
Available: Trade paperback, ebook edition.

The Booking is a book collector’s nightmare. Kiefer, an unemployed librarian, finds work creating a website for the proprietor of a bookshop selling rare (or at least old) books, called Books Are Life. This isn’t a well organized, pleasant place to work: it’s dark and dusty, and the owner, Brookes, is abrasive, secretive, and paranoid. Kiefer is expected to describe the books in a way that misrepresents their condition and post the descriptions online, and to work his way through the piles of disorganized books quickly. Brookes, mistrustful of technology, insists that Kiefer turn off the camera to his laptop, making communication difficult, especially after his living arrangements are disrupted and he is forced to move into the shop. Kiefer becomes obsessed with cataloging the books, rarely sleeping or leaving the store, and the atmosphere becomes more and more claustrophobic. Cut off from the outside world, he begins to buy into Brookes’ paranoid belief that he is being spied on through a chip secretly installed in his head. As the story progresses, the shop seems bigger and more crowded, a maze crowded with books that are closing in on Kiefer, finally trapped, alone, in the shop.

As a book lover who is surrounded by books, I found this to be profoundly unsettling. The treatment of the books, which are neglected, misrepresented, and disorganized, is disturbing. The atmosphere of the bookshop is closed-in, crowded, and labyrinthine; it takes a setting and activity I typically find enjoyable and transforms it into an extremely uncomfortable situation that makes me want to get as far away from crowded bookshelves as possible. Those who aren’t avid readers still will experience the creeping dread that accompanies Kiefer’s growing paranoia and isolation, but people who surround themselves with books will feel the impact the most. Highly recommended for lovers of psychological horror and of books.

Note: The Booking is the third novella from the Black Labyrinth imprint of Dark Regions Press. The Black Labyrinth imprint is a series of psychological horror novellas, illustrated by artist Santiago Caruso. The copy I reviewed is an advance copy that did not include the artwork. However, based on Caruso’s previous work, I am sure it will make an excellent complement to the story.

Posted on March 10, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden


The Casquette Girls by Alys Arden
Skyscape Books, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1503946545
Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, Audible

New Orleans, with its rich history and varied people, reeks of life, death, and mystery, intriguing both writers and readers. Anne Rice, Heather Graham, and  Poppy Z. Brite have captured the wonders and horrors well: the Big Easy is more than a colorful backdrop, it is a living, breathing character integral to their stories.

New Orleans native Alys Arden, with her debut novel, The Casquette Girls, succeeds at this as well: she knows her city, and her audience will experience much more than the glitz of Bourbon Street. While it’s being marketed as a YA title, this is a great story that will intrigue readers of all ages and from many genres. The horror burns sweeter than a midnight car bomb on St. Louis Street, the romance as bitter  and satisfying as the coffee at Café Du Monde. The mystery tugs the reader  in deeper than the voodoo shops lure tourists off the beaten paths.

Adele is a sixteen-year-old resident of New Orleans who returns from vacation after Hurricane Katrina has destroyed the city. Now home, she finds that New Orleans has become a dark and dangerous place, as bodies begin to turn up in the streets. Adele uncovers secrets in her attic, locked up for over three centuries, that unleash monstrous results into her life and town. The lives of her friends, schoolmates, and father are in peril,  and Adele soon realizes that there is much more going in the city, and with her friends, than she knew.  She encounters strangers who may be the key to survival, and finds herself torn between two boys, each with a dangerous past.

While the plot seems to follow along standard lines for YA paranormal romance, there is much more to the story, and it is worth your time to allow the story to unfold at a smooth but suspenseful pace. Discovering the Casquette Girls themselves, and their stories, alone is worth the journey.

Arden has produced an excellent debut novel, and with writing as polished as this, we can expect to see much more from her in the future. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by David Simms

Posted on March 5, 2016 by , Reply
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