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Book Review: Double Barrel Horror, Volume 2 edited by Matthew Weber

Double Barrel Horror Volume 2

Double Barrel Horror Volume 2 edited by Matthew Weber

Pint Bottle Press, 2017

ISBN: See individual reviews for individual ISBN numbers

Available: Kindle edition

 

Double-Barrel Horror Volume 2 is a series of stand-alone short ebooks, published separately but marketed as a collection. each with two stories by a specific author, which will eventually be collected as a paperback. In the meantime, each ebook is available separately on Kindle.

At the beginning of each of these short ebooks, there is a well-placed warning for readers preparing to go through these tales of terror: “Double-Barrel Horror is a series of fictional horror stories. They are likely to include death, graphic violence, profanity, blasphemy, sexual content and other themes and images that commonly disturb. If you can’t deal with these themes in your fiction, then you should avoid this book.” It would be wise for a potential reader to take this to heart before opening any of these tomes. I have included some warnings with my brief reviews. You’ve been warned…

 

 

“Punk Rock Horror”/”Holes” by Chad Lutzke

ISBN: 9781945005800

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Punk Rock Re-Animator,” a young man is dragged to his first punk show by his friend, Mike, who promises that it will be the experience of a lifetime. Once he’s in the venue, he starts people-watching. For a little while, it’s nothing out of the ordinary—just a crowd of people wanting a good time. Then he spies the man he calls The Professor. The latter is watching the crowd intently. The evening really picks up after The Professor pulls out the syringe with the glowing green fluid, and injects two people who will never be the same again. Warning: this one gets gory.

“Holes” presents another interesting tale of observation.  Manny Steven is a very bad kid. His neighborhood antics have worn down the people in the neighborhood, children and adults alike. The narrator is no different. He’s alone in the world after the death of his dog, Quincy, for which Manny is responsible. The narrator spends some of his days with a pair of binoculars at his window. He vows never to look inside the privacy of others windows, he strictly relegates his viewing to the street. All is going well until he breaks this promise and his eyes wander over to the Stevens’ apartment where he sees a most disturbing sight. It looks like someone has figured out the best revenge to take on young Manny, and one by one the neighbors are joining in. Warning: torture

 

 

“There Will Be Angels…”/”Marlene the Magnificent” by John Boden

ISBN: 9781945005800

Available: Kindle edition

 

“There Will Be Angels” is the story of a young boy, chained, locked, and alone in a room with nothing but a few tins left of cat food and his angels. Something has happened to his captor. The passage of time is not clear, and he is delirious from hunger and thirst. But his angels watch over him from their permanent places on the ceiling and the walls, and he has faith that his angels that will save him. Warning: child abuse

“Marlene the Magnificent” is…interesting. Marlene is a very popular act for children’s parties, and Timothy Brushett’s parents were able to book the unusual act, sparing no expense. I’m not sure that I would assign the word “magnificent” to Marlene, but she certainly wows the crowd. Warning: a lot of weird sexual content

 

 

“Black Rock Boys”/ “The Perfect Figure Eight” by Simon Dewar

ISBN: 9781945005855

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Black Rock Boys,” three teenage boys are out in the woods late at night when the school bully, Richie, shows up with an armed friend. What happens when the narrator runs to the black rock covered in runes asking for help? Only he knows, but the next thing he remembers is waking up in the safety of his home. When he shows up to school, he’s different, changed somehow. This story was very Lovecraftian in tone and is a truly great read.  Warning: bullying

“The Perfect Figure Eight” is another tale set around the high school years. Pete loves racing movies, his bike, and his dog. And a girl named Katie. New neighbors move in next door, and Pete finds the new girl, Jessica, is less than polite when they meet. One afternoon, Pete goes to the movie store for another rental of his favourite film and finds himself recommending a title to Katie and her friend. He’s elated as he rides home, and decides to take the most dangerous path, speeds down the hill toward a jump, and eats it…hard. It leaves scarring that becomes the target of Jessica’s bullying. It all comes to a head when he finds Jessica tormenting his beloved dog. They make a deal. Jessica will leave the dog alone so long as he takes the same ride again. He makes one small modification to the plan. Warning: bullying, violence against animals

 

“Shellfish”/”Exile” by Karen Runge

ISBN: 9781945005862

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Shellfish,” the narrator just wanted to remember the seaside trip she took as a child by herself, but when her lover Tom suggests they go together, she says yes anyway. She’s angry. When they arrive at the hotel, the receptionist remembers her and reminds her of the name David. David, who followed her everywhere when she and her family vacationed there so long ago, who annoyed her as much as Tom is annoying her now. Slowly, memories come back, and her anger and annoyance grow. Warning: brief mention of sex

“Exile”: This is told in second-person which actually works well for this story. It focuses on Elise, who is told she needs to take a vacation. She wants to get away from the day to day noise, to be utterly alone. However, when she succeeds in this endeavor by staying in a secluded house, even the sounds of nature encroach on her surroundings. When she tries to take care of the yard on her own, something terrible happens. But, she just wants to be alone…Warning: a lot of blood, sexual content

 

 


“Roadkill”/”The Getaway” by Patrick Freivald

ISBN: 9781945005831

Available: Kindle edition

 

In “Roadkill,” Jim is driving Gina to work when they see something in the middle of the road. They can’t believe what they see emerging from the animal splayed out in the road. After calling 911 to report it, they both get out to take a look at the thing in the road. Could that really be a child climbing out of the mass in the road? Warning: sexual content, gore

“The Getaway” is the story of a robbery and carjacking gone terribly wrong. After the shooting of their friend Jimmy, Alan and Bud drag an old man out of his own vehicle. As they are driving, they hear knocking coming from the trunk. Jimmy dies in the car, and the remaining failed robbers pull over to dump the body. The knocking gets frantic so they open the trunk to find a bound woman screaming to be taken back to her captor. Warning: gore, gore, and more gore

 

 

“Blinky”/”The Midnight Show” by M.B. Vujacic

ISBN: 9781945005824

Available: Kindle edition

 

“Blinky” is the last person you want to be with on the road, especially if you are a foul-mouthed whippersnapper. Emily’s brother Rod is complaining about the old man behind them who won’t back off his bumper. At the red light, the old man gets out of his vehicle and approaches Rod and Emily, loudly and rudely complaining about Rod leaving his blinker on. After a heating exchange, the old man, who Rod nicknamed Blinky, shoots Rod in the head. Emily takes off, with Blinky and his gun close behind. He kills anyone who gets in the way of his elusive target. What follows is, put simply, is a bloodbath. Warning: gun violence, blood

“The Midnight Show” has a very Lovecraftian feel to it. A traveling circus comes into town, and it’s less than stellar. Will hates it, but Clyde is distracted by a girl named Sombra, the daughter of one of the clowns. She invites them to The Midnight Show, which is guaranteed to be much better than anything the regular show has to offer. Warning: sexual content, blood, eldritch horror

Each of these authors present tales of terror that, while short, sit with the reader for a long time after finishing them. Weber selected some great authors for Double-Barrel Horror Volume 2. It’s clear he has an eye for horror. Recommended for those with ironclad stomachs.

 

Contains: See individual reviews for specific content warnings.

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Book Review: The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss

The Halloween Children by Brian James Freeman and Norman Prentiss

Hydra, 2017

ISBN: 9780399180972

Available: Used hardcover, Kindle edition

 

The Halloween Children, a novel of suburban and familial horror from Bram Stoker Award winner Norman Prentiss and Brian James Freeman of Cemetery Dance Publications, takes place at the Stillbrook Apartments. There, the grounds and property are well maintained, the tenants are diverse, and the problems of the day seem to slip away once they get home. On the surface, everything is perfect. However, things start to happen when the annual Halloween party is cancelled…bad things.

We see the trouble unfold through three different characters’ narratives. Harrison Naylor, the maintenance man lives on site with his wife Lynn and their two children Mattie and Amber, reveals his story in a type of confessional. Harrison is aggressive toward everyone. He resents his wife and complains of the way she neglects their son, instead giving her attention to their daughter. There are clearly some marital issues going on here. His story is delivered as a type of confessional, Then there is his job. Harrison’s work life is mostly satisfying, but his boss has been  making things difficult recently. Harrison is instructed by management to deliver fliers to tenants cancelling the annual Halloween party, under the guise of keeping them safe. When Harrison receives a call one night from a tenant he’s particularly annoyed by, he reluctantly goes to investigate noises in the vacant apartment above her, and finds the first of the grisly events to come.

Lynn’s narrative is laid out in a sort of diary she is writing at the recommendation of her marriage counselor, who she sees without her husband. Lynn is suspicious and passive-aggressive toward her husband, and resents her role as caretaker of the children and household. She works from home, so she always knows what’s going on in the neighborhood, but the only contact she has with the outside world is as a troubleshooter of tech problems for disgruntled people. Could her isolation from the world, her marital issues, and the fact she has started spying on Mattie and Amber be affecting her mind? One thing is certain: she fears her children.

Tenant Jessica Shephard’s story is told through disturbing and cryptic emails that she sends to a friend, asking bizarre questions about the human body, and making reference to the other tenants of the complex, and the Halloween Children. Who are they, and why are they always watching?

The author creates a lot of tension from the first page. Much of what happened caused me to question the accuracy of Harrison’s and Lynn’s narrations as they are clearly at odds with themselves, their relationship, and the children. However, as things unravel, it is clear there is more going on than just paranoia, guilt, and familial problems. The question is, what is going on at Stillbrook Apartments? Recommended.

Contains: Gore

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

 

Book Review: Haven by Tom Deady

Haven by Tom Deady
Greymore Publications, 2017
ISBN-13: 978-0990632726
Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

With the release of Haven, it is clear that Tom Deady is ready to make his mark in the horror world.  While “coming home” and “coming-of-age” stories have been done masterfully before in books like Dan Simmons’ Summer of Night, Robert McCammon’s Boy’s Life, and the monumental IT, Haven is a fresh take on the trope. With characters who stand out and plot twists that push comparisons to the side, the pages fly by.  Deady weaves a story of mystery and horror that will leave readers not just frightened, but feeling a powerful emotional impact.

Paul Greymore has been locked away in prison for 17 years, serving a sentence for being a child murderer, despite evidence to the contrary. Disfigured in childhood, and already an outcast when the murders occurred, he was blamed for the deaths as he emerged from a lake with a wounded girl. With his imprisonment, the killings stopped. The town of Haven has not been a “safe haven” for him.

Paul’s main ally, the local priest, believes it best for Paul to return home and start anew, yet the killings begin again just as he arrives. Sheriff Crawford, the cop who put Paul away despite the evidence, is still hellbent on putting him back behind bars. Along with his friend Billy and young Denny, the damaged crew set out to solve the mystery of who, or what, is actually killing the children. More than any monstrous outside force, though, Haven explores the the darkness within the human characters, and how that line of good and evil burns pieces of our souls off with each struggle.

Deady’s writing is strong here, sidestepping many of the first novel pitfalls, a big accomplishment for a story that tops five hundred pages. The characterization, especially of Paul, shines. Haven is definitely one of the best debuts of the year. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms