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Book Review: Seeing Evil (Cycle of Evil #1) by Jason Parent

cover art for Seeing Evil by Jason Parent

Seeing Evil (Cycle of Evil #1) by Jason Parent

Red Adept Publishing, 2015

ISBN-13 : 978-1940215495

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Human monsters are the worst, so a father who has been abusing his daughter for years and is also a serial killer responsible for his wife’s death has to be one of the sickest incarnations of evil possible. The amount of sheer, utterly realistic terror in Seeing Evil by Jason Parent quickly builds up an intensity that begins in the first pages of the book and doesn’t end until the final scene.

 

The main character in this novel of pain, suffering, and derangement is Michaek, a boy who discovers that if he has even the briefest physical contact with a person who is about to encounter evil, he will actually be transported into that very future nightmare scenario and must watch it unfold. Michael’s first supernatural experience occurs as a result of a school bullying incident, but he is forced to continue having these revelations, up close and personal, when he learns the secrets of another student, the serial killer’s daughter, and becomes involved in a race against time to save her from a terrible fate.

 

The plot and characters are riveting. With just the right details and compelling psychological profiles, the anxiety-filled daily life of traumatized individuals is closely examined. The manner in which the threat of constant danger, the reality of physical and psychological abuse, and the ceaseless sense of impending doom plays out in the victims’ lives is insightfully articulated and seamlessly connected to the dramatic police investigation. That part of the story is also engrossing because it makes clear how evil can go unchecked for far too long when the diabolical power of a killer successfully paralyzes ordinary people with fear. It also calls attention to the role of the “intuitives” who work on real criminal cases and how much it might be possible for these people to “see” as well as how the nature of their work affects them.

 

Unfortunately, we live in a world in which children are bullied, abused, and murdered.  Seeing Evil is about more than observing that evil; it is about hearing it, feeling it, and, most of all, about getting close enough to touch it. Parent makes this possible with a gripping narrative that provides that most potent of page  turners, the dread of what might come next.  Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

 

 

Posted on April 25, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror edited by Samantha Kolesnik

cover art for Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror edited by Samantha Kolesnik

Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror edited by Samantha Kolesnik

Grindhouse Press, 2020

ISBN: 9781941918708

Availability: Paperback, Kindle edition ( Bookshop.org | Amazon.com )

 

Worst Laid Plans is a collection of “vacation gone wrong” stories. It’s a lot like an actual vacation, in terms of story quality. There are some serious high points, some decent times, and some mediocre, forgettable times. The stories vary in terms of reading enjoyment, but the stories that are outstanding help offset the others.

The first three stories are undoubtedly the best in the book. S.E. Howard’s “You’ve Been Saved” is a frightening look at a road trip gone wrong, and a grim reminder that normal-looking psychopaths do occasionally haunt the American highways. Asher Ellis’s “Expertise” goes in somewhat of the same direction, using a tropical tour guide instead of highway ramblers. Both are excellent stories, with well-written, simple plots and a nice twist to surprise the reader. The true knockout is Greg Sisco’s “Summers With Annie”.  Beautifully written, it’s what might have happened if the queen of summer beach reads, Elin Hilderbrand, decided to write from a darker and supernatural perspective. Set against the backdrop of young love and mysterious disappearances, this story alone is worth the price of the book.

The other stories are generally satisfactory, although some are skippable. The writing is decent and there are some original ideas, the stories just don’t pack the same punch as the first three. Of these, Jeremy Herbert’s “Taylor Family Vacation 93”, Hailey Piper’s “Unkindly Girls”, and Patrick Lacey’s “Caught a Glimpse” are probably the best of the rest. The rest of the stories are somewhat interchangeable in terms of quality. While some good ideas are there, some of them lack of coherent finish, and others are too quick to finish after a long buildup.

Worst Laid Plans is truly a varied collection in terms of story quality, but the few outstanding ones compensate nicely for the others.

 

Contains: violence, profanity, mild gore

 

Reviewed by Murray Samuelson

 

Editor’s note: Worst Laid Plans: An Anthology of Vacation Horror is a nominee on the final ballot for this year’s Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology. 

Posted on April 22, 2021 by , Reply

Book Review: THE FEVERISH STARS: New and Uncollected Stories by John Shirley

Cover art for THE FEVERISH STARS by John Shirley

THE FEVERISH STARS: New and Uncollected Stories by John Shirley

Independent Legions Publishing, 2021

ISBN 978-88-31959-87-2

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition  ( Amazon.com )

 

A prolific, successful novelist and short story writer in the fields of dark fantasy and science fiction, John Shirley is back with a hefty new collection, assembling twenty-one stories (two of which are  previously unpublished).

Most of the included tales are quite enjoyable and well worth reading, although I must admit that I’m partial to the dark fiction pieces rather than to the science fiction stories.

“A State of Imprisonment”is an excellent mix of science fiction and horror, set in a future time when Arizona is transformed into a huge prison. A journalist trying to investigate suffers imprisonment and abuse aimed to prevent her from revealing the real nature of the place.

“ Sebillia” is a superb story (despite a weak supernatural side),  in which dark family secrets are finally revealed ,leading to a tragic ending.

The very short “Nodding Angel” effectively portrays the unusual power of a peculiar angel appearing to a family’s female members, while the quite original “Exelda’s Voice” describes a GPS program – which is actually much more than that- taking an active part in the escape of a bank robber.

“Hum- Hurt You. Hum-Hurt You. Hum- Hurt You”, is partly science fiction, partly technological horror that revolves around a fake house, which is really a shell for dangerous transmitters.

“ The Claw Spur”, perhaps my favorite story in the volume, is an excellent Western about killing and vengeance,  with a creepy supernatural side, graced by spectacular storytelling.

The insightful “ The Camera and the Rollercoaster” provides a proper ending to the collection, describing how a man riding a rollercoaster relives the various moments of his life while reaching his final destination. Recommended.

Contains: occasional violence and sex.

 

Reviewed by Mario Guslandi

 

 

Posted on April 9, 2021 by , Reply
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