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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

Book Review: The Serpent’s Shadow by Daniel Braum

Cover art for The Serpent's Shadow by Daniel Braum

 

The Serpent’s Shadow by Daniel Braum

Cemetery Dance, 2023

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1587679322

Available: Paperback

Buy: Bookshop.org

 

Daniel Braum’s writing is always intriguing. His NIght Marchers and Other Strange Tales was an outstanding collection of dark fiction. The Cemetery Dance release of his first novel departs from quiet horror to regale readers with a chilling story that is well worth the read.

 

David and his family land in Cancun, circa 1986. He and his sister are looking for adventure, hoping to escape their parents. They find it in a nightclub where he meets Anne Marie, a beautiful young woman to steal the eighteen-year-old’s heart. Yet she isn’t seeking to kill him, only to befriend him. Her innocence and ties to the city only ensnare his attention even more.

 

The true adventure begins as they explore a Mayan temple. The cab driver informs them that not everything is ancient history. The teens discover the pyramid holds a group of natives, many of the modern sort, who ache to bring Cancun back to the olden days when magic ruled the land.

 

What ensues is a blistering dark fantasy story that brings the horror. Braum knows how to deliver solid horror: how to build the tension, slowly tightening the noose on the readers. The setting is rendered beautifully, both the tourist trap of the city with its saccharine glitz, and the rich culture of the Mayans and Mexicans, struggling to reclaim a culture lost

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David and Anne Marie are fascinating in the depth of their characterization, as both stretch out in intriguing manners. The plot twists and turns, via the dive into the cultural dichotomy of past and current, as even the slightest characters contribute to the story. The less said, the better about this short novel, as the surprises creep off the page.

 

Braum paints a bizarre tale that leaves readers aching to read more of the writer’s work. Recommended.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

Posted on January 1, 2024 by , Reply
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