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Book Review: Madhouse: A Shared World Anthology, edited by Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brad C. Hodson

Madhouse: A Shared World Anthology, edited by Benjamin Kane Ethridge and Brad C. Hodson, and illustrated by Aeron Alfrey

Dark Regions Press, 2016

ISBN: 9781626411166

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition.

 

Madhouse is a shared world anthology set in the Behavioral Health Center in Golden Canyon, Arizona. The frame story is that a supernatural sandstorm hits the facility, rendering escape futile, and an infectious wave of madness begins to spread through the facility. As the contagion spreads, and the characters attempt to discover how the madness is being passed, staff and patients, each with their own story, are driven to unleash their personally harbored madness.

Several stories kept me awake at night peering into the dark corners of my house.  “Skating the Shattered Glass Sea” focuses on Lily and Timothy, twins who have an unusual ability. After a tragic accident at the age of twelve, Lily is committed to the Gold Canyon Behavioral Health Center, while Timothy goes on to have an acting career and a normal life. When he eventually visits Lily, well into his adult life, his mind starts to fall apart. They used to build lovely palaces in the air, visible palaces. What Lily creates with her broken mind is nightmare fuel to Timothy.

In “The Yellow Bug,” James, an Iraq war veteran, reveals some ugly truths about himself to Dr. Ruiz, who is suffering similar headaches to the ones James had  before he gave in to his desire to kill and let go of his fear. James explains he had help from God, in the form of  a yellow bug. The good doctor is harboring a frightening secret that the God bug helps him release.

“Heal Thyself” centers on the unique treatment offered by Dr. Edlehart in the facility: past-life regression therapy. He has used this treatment on many of the patients, and is mentoring Dr. Alice Jalbert on the practice. The treatment of patient  Jeffrey Jackson, reveals certain truths about the good doctor.

“Bathroom” is a story that stayed with me for some time. Something about it makes me a bit nervous about going into public bathrooms now. Claire fights crippling anxiety, fear, and fascination with drains. This makes trips to the ladies’ room difficult, but her usual escort, Bruce, puts her at ease. This trip, however, is different. She hears the faucet turn on while she is indisposed, and she feels the familiar gnawing at her brain. But what is that wet, sticky sound coming from one of the other stalls? What will she see when she pushes open the door?

“Drake’s Cake” follows one of the most notorious interns in the facility. He’s extremely hostile and regularly torments the patients with physical, psychological, or sexual abuse, occasionally in combination. Somehow, the staff is oblivious to his transgressions against the patients, and no one addresses his abuses against the patients. There is nothing likable about this guy, but he gets his comeuppance in the end, when he makes a disturbing and vomit-inducing error in judgement as the madness takes hold of his mind.

A few of the other stories stuck with me as well. “Birdman” is the story of a man who was institutionalized after his penchant for turning people into birds was discovered. In “Sky is Falling,” Skylar is trying to help evacuate her ward to the first floor, and walks into an unexpected surprise. Nurse Julie helps release the demons from Trisha’s skull in “Fraud.” Agnes is the chef for the facility, and in “Appetite,” she uses special ingredients for those she deems worthy. Her own appetite is sated by the strangest of things. These are the standouts: there are additional stories in this anthology of madness, as well. The short stories can be read as standalone tales, or, read together, can form a complete novel. I can’t think of anything about this book that isn’t compelling. The editors picked a number of amazing authors for this anthology, including Mercedes Yardley, Jeff Strand, John Skipp, Meghan Arcuri, and Rena Mason.

Two illustrators have been effective in scaring the daylights out of me: Stephen Gammell, who illustrated the famed Scary Stories series by Alvin Schwartz, and Aeron Alfrey for this anthology. There were a few pieces that I found myself hypnotized by, including those for “Skating the Shattered Sea of Glass,” “Birdman,” and “Drake’s Cake.” Several of the chapters also have art accompanying them.

This anthology will keep you up at night. Highly recommended.

Contains: gore, cannibalism, violence, rape, abuse, psychological terror

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

 

Posted on August 4, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers

St. Martin’s Griffin, 2010

ISBN-13: 978-0312573805

Available: Paperback, Audible, Audio CD, Kindle edition

Anyone feeling nostalgic for the glory days of high school will drop that nostalgia right in the trash bin within pages of beginning Some Girls Are. Our protagonist, Regina, is the best friend of the high school Mean Queen, Anna, and as the only sober person at a party she decides to do her duty as the designated driver and take Anna, who has passed out, home, over the vehement objections of Anna’s boyfriend, Donnie. who then attempts to rape Regina. Regina flees the party, ending up at her “friend” Kara’s. Kara convinces Regina to stay quiet, but uses the information to convince Anna that Regina slept with Donnie. Anna’s revenge is to knock Regina from the top of the high school pecking order to the very bottom. Anna orders her friends and hangers-on to persecute Regina, and Kara makes it her personal mission to destroy Regina in every way, even establishing an online social media page dedicated to hating her. While some of the attacks are over-the-top, and it’s rather alarming that not a single adult picks up on what’s going on, Summers still managed to make me a witness to the events and emotions that carry the story.

You would think the attacks on her would make Regina a sympathetic character, but she’s not. As Anna’s right hand she’s been there and done this to other kids at Anna’s bidding, including Liz, who attempted suicide, and Michael, now labeled “most likely to become a school shooter”. And it’s clear that Regina knew exactly what she was doing, if not its complete impact: she felt guilty, but she wasn’t a blind participant. She knows herself well enough that she doesn’t expect others to like or forgive her, and fights back viciously against her former friends whenever she has the opportunity. The way the teens in this book treat each other is often brutal and callous, and there is plenty of schadenfreude, selfishness, cowardice, and anger to go around. But there’s also a tiny ray of hope as Regina and Michael begin to build a tentative connection. The entire thing has the feel of The Chocolate War, if Jerry Renault had fought back, or found even a momentary kindness.

Regina has a strong voice and even though she is not a particularly sympathetic character, I grew to respect her and hope for her continued positive development. It’s not necessary to like her to be appalled by her treatment. I felt that Summers did a good job of presenting the multiple faces and feelings of important characters like Michael, Kara, and Liz, although I would have liked to know a little more about Regina’s previous relationship with Liz. While Anna and her other friends were pretty flat, the characters Summers did choose to develop were definitely three-dimensional.

Some Girls Are was recently challenged in South Carolina, and I can see why a parent would be uncomfortable with this book. Sexual assault, bullying, drug use, and suicide are difficult to read about or talk about, and no parent wants to believe this could be happening in their own child’s school. This is a gripping and horrifying read, especially because the monsters are human rather than supernatural, and it rings true. If this is the kind of thing kids today are facing in high school, a book like Some Girls Are, at least for mature readers, definitely has a place.  Recommended for ages 15 and up.

Contains: bullying, sexual assault, underage drinking, drug use, attempted suicide, language.

Reviewed by Kirsten Kowalewski

Posted on August 3, 2015 by , Reply

Book Review: Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters

Break My Heart 1,000 Times by Daniel Waters
Hyperion 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4231-2198-5
Available: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle

The sight of ghosts has become commonplace to Veronica and her friends since the “Event”. Ghosts are everywhere–walking about in classrooms, standing on street corners, going to the mailbox, and even reading books in the local library. Veronica also sees the ghost of her father sitting at the table reading the newspaper every morning, while the ghost of a teenage boy named Brian hangs out in her bathroom. These days though, it seems the ghosts are gaining power.

It’s not long before Veronica realizes maybe it’s not the ghosts she should be quick to step around, but the living instead, as Mr. Bittner, one of her teachers at Montcreif High, begins to stalk her in the creepiest of ways, like popping up at the coffee shop when she stops in for a quick cup of tea, and staring at her a little too long in class. Why is he following her?  What does he want?  And why does the ghost of Mary Greer appear on his front steps every morning?

Fans of author Daniel Waters, who also wrote the Generation Dead series, will likely sink their teeth into this stand-alone supernatural story filled with paranormal suspense, ghostly chills and fast-paced action.

Recommended: YA Ages 12 to 18

Contains: Minor Violence

Reviewed by Tina Mockmore

 

Posted on July 9, 2014 by , Reply
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