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Book Review: THE FEVERISH STARS: New and Uncollected Stories 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fiction, John Shirley is back with a hefty new collection, assembling twenty-one stories (two of which are previously unpublished).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 Kirsten, Reply

Book Review: Wyatt in Wichita: A Historical Novel by John Shirley

Wyatt in Wichita: A Historical Novel by John Shirley

Skyhorse Publishing, 2014

ISBN-13: 978-1629143132

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook download

Wyatt in Wichita is a novel I have been reading about for a long time. John Shirley, while known as both a horror and science fiction author, transcends genre in almost everything he writes, and I was intrigued to learn that he had been working on a historical novel set in the Wild West.

Shirley’s fascination with the legendary lawman Wyatt Earp was the seed for this novel, which is based in solid historical research. Focused on a lesser known aspect of Earp’s life, this novel is a fictionalized account of his search for the murderer of a girl from Wichita. Shirley uses the plot as a tool to explore Earp’s character. While legend sometimes paints a black-and-white picture of Earp as a hero, or villain, Shirley uses shades of grey. While the novel has plenty of action, it is, above all, a character study.

While a historical novel is a departure for the writer whose stories were once called “Lollipops of Pain”, Shirley delivers, with his intense view of the world expressed through this new setting and genre. His use of tiny details sets the tone effectively. While description can overwhelm a story and slow the pacing, Shirley’s writing remains fluid. All the elements of a successful Western are here: period accurate action, engulfing natural landscapes that jumped off the page, and characters that made me a little uncomfortable.

Authors writing outside of their traditional genres often have trouble getting their readers to follow them. Wyatt in Wichita is an excellent choice to get readers to step outside their genre and try something a little different. This should be in any library with a serious eye to western and historical fiction.

Reviewed by David Agranoff

Posted on February 22, 2015 by Kirsten, Reply

MonsterLibrarian.com’s Top Picks for 2011- Adult Books

Well, we’re not churning out 5,000 reviews a year like Kirkus Reviews, but our volunteer reviewers worked hard in 2011, reading and reviewing close to 300 books- some good, some bad, and some that were really extraordinary pieces of writing and storytelling.

With a new year beginning, it’s time for the Monster Librarian, in consultation with contributing reviewers, to reflect back on the past year’s reading and reviewing. We didn’t get out a list of the top picks for 2010, but now we’re back now, with our Top Picks for 2011. Each book on the list below was reviewed in the past year, although not all the books were published in 2011. If the book made a Top Picks list in the past, it won’t be on this year’s list (Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson, was first reviewed in 2009 and made the list that year, so it’s not on this year’s list).

Books that made this list were chosen by our reviewers as exceptional examples of compelling writing, creativity, and original illustration or presentation. Many of them provided considerable food for thought as well as entertainment value. The choices were made only from books reviewed for the site, so there are many fine titles that do not appear here. The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011, listed below, have not been ranked in any order. You’ll find a list for each age group: Adult, Young Adult, and Kids. Below you’ll find our list of Top Picks for Adult Fiction in 2011. I’ll post the lists for young adult and children’s books shortly.

Note for librarians and readers: As with all recommended reading lists, not all of The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011 will be appropriate for or appreciated by every reader. Please take the time to check out reviews of these titles at MonsterLibrarian.com before making a decision about reading them or recommending them to others.

The Monster Librarian’s Top Picks for 2011

Titles for Adults

A special mention goes to Lisa Morton’s The Samhanach, which three of our reviewers independently chose to review. All three reviewers highly recommended this book. And now, the list.

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Zombie Jim, by Mark Twain and W. Bill Czolgosz

Allison Hewitt Is Trapped: A Zombie Novel, by Madeleine Roux

Bedbugs, by Ben H. Winter

Bigfoot War 2: Dead in the Woods, by Eric S. Brown

Bone Marrow Stew, by Tim Curran (limited edition available only from Tasmaniac Publications)

Crucified Dreams, edited by Joe R. Lansdale

Cuckoo, by Richard Wright

Dust, by Joan Frances Turner

Draculas: A Novel of Terror, by Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson

Enclave, by Ann Aguirre

Eternal Unrest: A Novel of Mummy Terror, by Lorne Dixon

Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files, by Jim Butcher