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Book Review: Those That Pursue Us Yet by Kyla Lee Ward

Cover art for Those That Pursue Us Yet by Kyla Lee Ward

Those That Pursue Us Yet by Kyla Lee Ward

Independent Legions Publishing, 2023

ISBN: 9791280713797

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy:  Bookshop.org  | Amazon.com

 

Those That Pursue Us Yet is a pretty well-written but frustrating novella.  The wording is very good, and the descriptions and settings are well-done, but the plot feels like a bit of an afterthought, and the minimal dialogue doesn’t help move it forward.

 

Almost the entire book takes place in dreams, which is both good and bad. The good is that it allows the author to get away with some pretty wild things that aren’t possible in reality, but the bad is that it makes the whole story seem disjointed.  There are a lot of good set pieces, but it starts to seem like the story is done more for that purpose, as opposed to driving a narrative forward.

 

In the story, Wander and Madeline, patient and shrink, are two women caught in a weird kind of dream hell whenever they fall asleep, as they are pursued by an entity, Phobetor,  Unfortunately, there really isn’t any information given to flesh out Phobetor as a character. It’s simply there.  Both Madeline and Wander can manipulate their dreams to some extent, although they aren’t supposed to pass beyond some sort of metaphysical barrier, as that puts them in Phobetor’s range.  They have safe areas, symbols to link to different dreams, and so on. If it sounds kind of confusing, it is. The whole story is focused on brief moments of wakefulness spaced among numerous dream sequences, and it just doesn’t feel cohesive. More dialogue and keeping focused on the plot would have helped.

 

The author has talent: many of the dream sequences are really well written.  The beach scene of skulls was well done, and the sections in the catacombs beneath Paris were also excellent .  The story just needed the same amount of attention paid to the characters and the narrative as to the descriptions and settings.  This might have been something pretty impressive.  As it is, it feels more like an art piece that a select few will get blown away by, and everyone else will just not understand.

 

Bottom line: This will probably find a niche audience that regards it as brilliant, but other readers may want to skip this one.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on April 30, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: Grimmworld: The Witch in the Woods by Michaelbrent Collings

cover art for Grimmworld The Witch in the Woods by Michaelbrent Collings

Grimmworld: The Witch in the Woods, by Michaelbrent Collings

Shadow Mountain Publishing, March 2024 (not yet released)

ISBN: 9781639932320

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition

Buy: Bookshop.org |  Amazon.com

 

Michaelbrent Collings writes good thrillers, and writes them fast: his pace has always been Dean Koontz-like. Grimmworld is his first attempt at a middle grade fantasy novel, and not surprisingly, it’s very good.  Collings has no trouble shifting his high-octane writing to fantasy, Kids and adults both will love this.

 

The book is a nifty new way to use Grimm’s Fairy Tales for backdrop.  The first 90 pages are a bit slow, but it’s just the setup for the real story.  Twins Jake and Willow Grimm are living in a new town, where their parents are involved in top secret research.  Through a collision of multiverses, the twins wind up in Grimmworld, where all the old fairy tales actually happen, for real.  However, the endings are very different in Grimmworld, and not happy ones, either– the original Brothers Grimm changed the endings when they wrote them.  Once the story shifts to Grimmworld, it takes off, and kicks into high gear. Jake and Willow do get some scientific explanation for the different worlds from a friend and wizard, Old Eli.  Collings does a nice job balancing a plausible scientific theory and making it understandable to young readers..  The ‘bubble’ analogy the author used really helps tie this section together.  The lovable, enigmatic mole-rat, Chet, also helps the twins, although his Cheshire-cat style of talking does drive them somewhat nuts.

 

The last half of the book is fantastic, with Jake and Willow attempting to save Hansel and Gretel from the witch’s oven.  There are a lot of outstanding riddles and puzzles in this section: riddling hasn’t been this much fun since Bilbo went toe to toe with Gollum all those years ago.  The ‘slow camel’ race and magic tree demonstrate real planning on the author’s part, and they are simple enough for readers to follow.  It’s the perfect wrap-up to a very good story.  Thankfully, this isn’t the end: Collings has already promised another if he gets a good response from readers.  Based on this, he won’t have any trouble getting it.

 

Bottom line is, this does what a good middle grade fantasy should do: thrill younger and older readers alike.  Schools should have this, to help kids see that reading has a LOT more to offer than staring at cell phones.  As for the author, who knows what else he has in his bag of tricks? Recommended.

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

Posted on March 2, 2024 by , Reply

Book Review: The City of Corpses (Lost Carcosa #2) by Joseph Sale

 

The City of Corpses (Lost Carcosa #2) by Joseph Sale

Blood Bound Publishing, 2024

ISBN: 9781940250595

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

Buy: Amazon.com

 

Much like its predecessor, The Claw of Craving, the sequel The City of Corpses is a wildly imaginative dark fantasy that’s beautifully written and imagined.  It has it all: twisting plotline, vivid characters, unholy magic, a touch of romance, and a huge, blood-soaked battle that Conan himself would have enjoyed.  Above all, it’s the author’s magical touch with his prose that puts this saga in a league of its own.  This is a must read for any fantasy/horror fans.  You need to read the first one before this one, though.

 

City continues the journey of Alan Chambers, the unlikely hero (and possibly savior) of Carcosa.  The first book established Alan as a power, with the fabled Claw of Craving as his weapon.  In this one, it’s up to him to decide how to wield that power, as he is needed to prevent the Yellow King’s treacherous daughter Cali from causing the overthrow of the king.  Alan really comes into his own as the driving force in this book.  In the first one, his companions Cassilda (and Cali, at that time) called most of the shots.  Here, Alan steps up as the leader of the group, and thankfully, he still has Cassilda, Petruccio the dwarf, and the irascible actor LeBarron along for help.  The characters are well-developed from the first book to now, getting bigger and more interesting roles.  Cassilda has grown into her role as a big player. In the first book, she was often overshadowed by Cali: now, she’s a leader in her own right, and she and Alan make a formidable team- and discover personal feelings for each other.    There are a few new characters, as well:: the enchantress Scarleth is particularly intriguing.

 

The story itself does a great job of continuing the first, the world of Carcosa is so well drawn you can see and feel it.  One good example is when the characters cross the icewater lake to the hidden city It’s so perfectly written, you can almost feel the cold of the lake bite into your feet.  That’s a testament to the author’s ability. This is higher level writing, the kind that not only reads well, but also sounds good.  This isn’t standard fiction writing: it’s edging towards the level of Clark Ashton Smith.  You won’t find writing like this often– which is another reason this is a must-read for fantasy fans.   There is a lot of imagination built into the story: examples include the entrances to the hidden city, and all the wildness of the final battle, complete with a deranged dinosaur sort of creature that annihilates everything.  I loved the battle sequences: it made me feel like I was there when the enemies poured over the walls.  It’s a good, messy battle, with enough to satisfy the gorehounds out there.

 

Bottom line?  There really isn’t a flaw in this, except that it ends.  Thankfully, it will continue, as there seems to be a ways to go, and many questions to be answered.  Let’s hope the ride continues a long time: this is something special.  Very highly recommended!

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

 

Posted on February 28, 2024 by , Reply
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