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Women in Horror Month: Book Review: Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo

cover art for Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo

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Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo

Agora Books, 2021

ISBN: ISBN-10 : 1951709209

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition (pre-order: release date March 9, 2021)

 

 

The daughter of a Chicago policeman, Detective Lauren Medina has known the terrible trauma and tragedy of her city ever since the unsolved murder of her sister when they were both children. She is also a true believer in the power of the darkest fairytales to infiltrate ordinary lives. When someone begins tagging multiple spots in the city with the name “Pied Piper”, Lauren immediately realizes that the number of dead children is about to increase dramatically. Her evidence is a very old copy of Grimm’s fairytales she read as a child, a missing page from that book, and a magic rhyme that can call the Piper to get rid of any chosen victim.

 

Cynthia Pelayo is a master of her craft. In Children of Chicago, she creates a strong sense of place with brief descriptions of the city’s landmarks and its violent history. The familiarity of this location in the popular imagination heightens the supernatural effect of the fairytales on past and present sins that are destroying any hope of a better future through or for the community’s children. Within this cityscape, the mysterious Pied Piper, wearing a black suit and hat, appears frequently to a group of children who owe him for the horrible deeds they have requested him to perform. When he wants to, he transforms into a terrifying, bloody monster, hungry to collect his fees in human flesh. Pelayo moves expertly between human events and nightmarish fantasy suggesting that the two are not separate and that their intersection is a demonic one.

 

Part mystery, part fairytale, part psychological crime thriller, Children of Chicago will make you want to re-read fairytales as you wonder about their origins (based on true stories?) and try to figure out what Detective Medina really knows and how.  Best of all, by the climax of the book, like the Piper’s future victims, you’ll be looking into the shadows with a shiver hoping this scary tale is simply very good horror fiction.

Highly Recommended

Reviewed by Nova Hadley

Posted on February 13, 2021 by , Reply

Women in Horror Month: An Elvira-stravaganza! Graphic Novel Review: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, vols. 1 & 2 by David Avallone, art by Dave Acosta and The Shape of Elvira by David Avallone, art by Fran Strukan and Pasquale Qualano

cover art for Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, vol. 1: Timescream

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 Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, vol. 1: Timescream by David Avallone, art by Dave Acosta

Dynamite, 2018-2019

ISBN-13: 9781524108533 (vol.1)

Available: Paperback, Kindle, comiXology (for single and TPB digital issues)

 

I grew up watching Elvira, Mistress of the Dark introducing wonderful and often terrible horror movies, and then starring in a few of her own. I fell in love with her humor and sass, not taking anyone’s crap and going after what she wanted. She holds a special place in my horror-loving heart. When Dynamite announced Elvira would be getting her own comic series starting in 2018, I knew I had to pick it up. I have been collecting the single issues, and what follows is a review of all of them to date. They have now been published as graphic novels, in two volumes. Volume One collects issues 1-4.

 

#1: Timescream, Chapter 1: Frankenstein is the Name of the Doctor: After the leading man in Elvira’s new movie has a wardrobe malfunction (don’t worry, it’s only his dentures falling out), she goes back to her trailer for a long-needed break. After being sucked into a mysterious coffin in her trailer, the Mistress of the Dark meets Mary Wollstonecraft, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron during the infamous weekend that led to Mary’s penning Frankenstein. They find themselves on the run when Vlad the Impaler crashes the party. Elvira’s journey doesn’t end there, as she finds herself meeting another horror legend after she once again falls into the time traveling coffin.

 

#2: Timescream, Chapter 2: Nevermore!: Elvira is transported to 1838 Philadelphia, coming face to face with one of the greatest poets of horror, Edgar Allan Poe. While are sharing some absinthe at Poe’s favourite pub, Vlad busts in the door and demands that Elvira, who he addresses as Witch, return him to his own time. Will she and Poe come up with the perfect plan to get everyone back to their respective timelines? No, but they’ll sure have fun trying.

 

#3: Timescream, Chapter 3: Stoker? I Hardly Know ‘er!: Elvira time-traveling adventures take her to the author of Dracula himself, Bram Stoker. His wife, Florence, is less than impressed with the Mistress of the Dark upon their meeting. Vlad bursts onto the scene and soon mesmerizes Florence, running away with her. When Bram and Elvira attempt to rescue her, Dr. Faust appears to reveal his part of the story.

 

#4: Timescream, Chapter 4: Fauster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!: Elvira finally gets back to Los Angeles, but unfortunately to the wrong time. She’s dropped right in the middle of the filming of the iconic Frankenstein with the mysterious Dr. Faust and Vlad in pursuit. What ensues is a chase through various Hollywood film lots, much to the frustration of the directors and actors everywhere. One of them is running out of time…

 

 

cover art for Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, vol. 2: Elvira's Inferno

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Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, vol. 2: Elvira’s Inferno by David Avallone, art by Dave Acosta

Dynamite, 2019-2020

ISBN-13: 9781524112677

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, comiXology

 

#5: Elvira’s Inferno: Canto One: Elvira and Faust are both dumped in Hell after running into Mephistopheles. Dr. Faust, living with an angry, drunk, and violent Helen of Troy, is left to his personal hell when Mephistopheles agrees to lead her to talk with the Devil himself to get out of Hell.

 

#6: Elvira’s Inferno: Canto Two: Elvira makes her way down to the manager of Hell. Literally. She talks to a demonic whip wielding task master dressed in business attire looking for the way to her destiny. Her journey to Cerberus is fruitful, and she discovers a way to tame the beast to gain passage. She is finally met by her guide through the remaining circles of Hell, a man dressed in plain robes named Glenn.

 

Spring Special: Elvira in…Drive-In of the Dead: Elvira is the horror hostess at a genre film festival at the local drive-in when she discovers the opportunity to star in a film produced by the famous George Rottmero, who makes extremely most realistic horror movies. She finds out the disturbing secret behind the producer’s success, but it may cost Elvira her life. The second story in the Spring Special is “Elvira in…The Satan 500”.  After an eventful trip to the grocery store, Elvira is greeted by outside by Satan who challenges her to a car race. If she loses, she must marry him. She’s got one hope, and he’s sitting in her vehicle and calls himself Jason Voorhees.

 

#7: Elvira’s Inferno: Canto Three Elvira and Glenn, with Faust on their heels, travel further into Hell. Elvira and Glenn face the Minotaur, the traffic jam of the damned, and other unthinkable horrors before they can deal with the Devil.

 

#8: Elvira’s Inferno: Canto Four: Elvira finally meets Satan himself, with the watchful guidance of Glenn at her side, and her journey reaches its amazing conclusion. Our beloved Queen of Halloween must plead her case to the Devil to get out of Hell. Armed with her sassy wit and with Glenn and his secret identity by her side, it shouldn’t be a problem, right?

 

#9: Vroom Vroom, Witches!: Elvira, back in her own time and back on the movie set, she thinks she can finally get back to normal (well, normal for her) life. Little does she know that an evil coven of warlocks is attempting to enact a ritual that may mean her doom.

 

#10: Witches Get Stitches: A cult has taken Elvira to a hospital and has stolen her Darkness, her source of power. Her iconic dress and roadster even fall to the effects. At her time of need, she meets the mysterious superhero, Soul Survivor, who has also been on the chase for the cult. Together, they head out to face the cult members and regain the Queen of Halloween’s Darkness.

 

#11: Witch Way to the Apocalypse?: In the last issue, Elvira became separated from Soul Survivor and found herself magicked back to her house, Gonk greeting her upon arrival. She hops in her white roadster and tracks the cult to the Dark Ages Dinner Theatre where she faces her most frightening challenge yet: amusement park mascots! Can she get to the Soul Survivor in time?

 

#12: Vlad to See You Again: What, did you think Elvira was safe from the Impaler? Elvira and Soul Survivor are ready to vanquish the cult, but the cult is successful in summoning Vlad from Hell. He’s not having it. He captures our Mistress of the Dark but may not like the results when Elvira discovers the way she can regain her darkness.

 

Avallone and Acosta make a fantastic team on the Elvira: Mistress of the Dark series. Avallone captures the campy sass of Elvira, which of course is full of double entendres and terrible puns, all while weaving a compelling tale that keeps the reader’s interest through each issue. Acosta’s art is a great complement to the stories. He is able to depict the likeness of Elvira perfectly. Both volumes are highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on February 9, 2021 by , Reply

Women in Horror Month: Drive, She Said: and Other Stories by Tracie McBride

cover art for Drive, She Said by Tracie McBride

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Drive, She Said and Other Stories by Tracie McBride

IFWG Publishing Australia, 2020

ISBN-13: 9781925956689

Available: Paperback, Kindle

 

This book contains eighteen short stories of horror and dark fantasy written by the author. The tales feature women as protagonists, doomed heroines, and villains. While all the stories in this collection are well executed and well written, a few of them stood out above the others for me.

 

The tale “Breaking Windows” treats possession as a virus transmitted somehow through sight. Treatment is an ocular prosthesis that are programmed with demonic spectrum detectors. Jess’ partner, Leo, opts to get them implanted and he does his best to persuade her to do the same. As the statistics look grimmer, and a pregnancy test comes out positive, Jess must make her choice.

 

In “Ugly”, Janine has a growth on her face that, after treatment, continues to grow…and grow…and grow. This story in particular has some gruesome body horror involved.

 

In “The Changing Tree”, Sten, Liath, and the other boys of age are counting the days until ‘Changing Day’. The priestesses who guard the Changing House don’t allow anyone in the grounds unless they are chosen. All that Sten knows is that the chosen walk in boys and walk out as women. All of the women of the village had the same origin. What unfolds is a touching story of the two friends as they grapple with the changes of identity, gender, and sexuality.

 

Lara and Maxine are sisters who share a dark secret in “Slither and Squeeze”. The story opens on a subway with Lara trying to calm down an old homeless man who is yelling about a snake, disrupting other passengers. After she gets him calmed down, the sisters have a conversation about what to do about the situation. He witnessed the Change, something the sisters can’t abide. However, they are at odds about what to do: kill him or leave him as his words are only the drivel of a deranged old man.

 

In “Life in Miniature”, Michael is picked up by a middle-aged woman, thinking this will be some kind of favours traded for a meal and a shower kind of thing, but discovers too late that she has a more specialized use for him. She has so many realistic dolls in the house, but they do not look quite right around the faces.

 

This is just a small offering that Tracie McBride offers in her book. She has a concise way of writing her short stories that did not leave me wanting more at the end. I don’t want to say she ties everything up nicely at the end. That does not quite fit. It’s more like she provides just enough in each tale for the reader to digest. I will definitely be picking up more of McBride’s work. Recommended.

Contains: blood, body horror, sex

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on February 3, 2021 by , Reply
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