Home » Posts tagged "Lovecraftian fiction" (Page 2)

Graphic Novel Review: Dr. Herbert West & Astounding Tales in Medical Malpractice by Bruce Brown, illustrated by Thomas Boatwright

Dr. Herbert West & Astounding Tales of Medical Malpractice by Bruce Brown, illustrated by Thomas Boatwright

Arcana Studio, 2019

ISBN-13: 9781771352758

Available:  Paperback

 

With a foreword written by THE Jeffrey Combs, I knew I had to review this title.

Here begins the tale of young Dr. Herbert West: Re-Animator, legend, and genius. The story is told by his sister, Elizabeth Anne West (I happen to share first and middle names with our storyteller). The West family is constantly moving due to the young doctor’s scientific disasters(er, experiments), but despite all of that, she still loves her brother. After they settle in Providence, the family thinks things will settle down, but Lizzy knows better. One day while Lizzy is introducing her brother to the deliciousness of Johnny Cakes baked treats, the town doctor starts choking! He is saved by Dr. West, but the old doc isn’t right afterward. The townsfolk start visiting Young Doc West for their ailments, but he soon grows bored of treating them. So he starts experimenting…

Lizzy finds him in his basement laboratory with a familiar serum. When Lizzy demands to know what compelled him to create such a serum, he simply states, “I was bored.” The ravening horde of undead escape their basement prison to feast upon the only thing chewy and satisfying enough to sate their hunger…Johnny Cakes donuts. Can Lizzy and Herbert make it to Dean Allen Halsey at Miskatonic University in time?

I love everything about this book. The story is definitely all ages, even though Herbert goes into overly scientific explanations about, well, everything. It’s good we have Lizzy to remind him to use layman’s terms. The artwork is vibrant and colourful, and the action scenes are drawn so well. There is a panel where Lizzy is shaking Herbert wildly from side to side and I had to take a minute to finish because I was laughing so hard. This is a great book for anyone who likes a healthy dose of humor in their Lovecraft. Highly recommended.

Contains: unrelenting devouring of baked goods by the undead

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on December 18, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Belzebubs by J.P. Ahonen

Belzebubs by J.P. Ahonen

Top Shelf Productions, 2019

ISBN: 9781603094429

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, comiXology edition, special editions with full album and band merch

The life of a metal band can be challenging, especially trying to balance time with family and religious obligations to fulfill. Called a “trve kvlt mockumentary”, Belzebubs, which started out as a webcomic,  gives us a glimpse of the life and times of a black metal band, complete with home life, raising a family, young love, and a healthy dose of the occult. The band is struggling with staying afloat after a lengthy hiatus. With their new line up– Sløth on vocals and guitars, Hubbath on vocals and bass, Obesyx on lead guitar, and new member Samaël on drums– they are ready to take on the world… and the underworld. Oh, and everyone wears corpse paint, even Grandma.

Since there is a lot of content relating to Sløth’s family life, it would be terrible of me not to include the female characters in this review. Lucyfer, Lilith, and Grandma are all compelling characters. Lucyfer, Sløth’s wife, is a stay-at-home mother, and her interaction with their children is loving and hilarious. Lucyfer finally gets the baby to sleep, but when she turns her back, baby is floating in the air and muttering incantations. Lucyfer and Sløth are a devoted couple, and will do anything to protect their kids from harm. When Leviathan wakes his parents up to complain that God is watching him, Sløth wastes no time in chasing an old man with a long white beard, and wearing a robe, out of their yard. Their daughter, Lilith, is a particularly compelling character. She’s a teenager with hormones everywhere, falling in love with a nerdy boy in class who compliments her on her choice of headphones, and doing everything she can to give him the hint. Her methods are unconventional, but relatable at some level. Then there’s Grandma. She’s a fairly recent widow, but will not let Grandpa go… literally.

There is also plenty of Lovecraftian and demonic activity going on in this series: Grandma makes the kids’ favorite meal, Soup Niggurath; Leviathan accidentally leaves a portal to another dimension open and demons get in the house; and Sløth and Lucyfer even take a relaxing vacation to Hell to get away from it all.

I highly recommend Belzebubs to fans of black metal and Lovecraft. It’s funny, irreverent, and, in its own weird way, heartwarming. The fact that the band has a website with their album, band merch, and music videos makes it all the more interesting for me.  Highly recommended.

Music video link for Cathedrals of Mourning: https://youtu.be/SkdkZN1rduo

Music video link for Blackened Call: https://youtu.be/sxzb00dqNg4

Contains: a little bit of nudity

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Posted on June 23, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Wardenclyffe by F. Paul Wilson

Wardenclyffe by F. Paul Wilson

Journalstone. 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1947654594

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition, Audiobook

It’s time for F. Paul Wilson to return to the Secret History of the World. That should be enough reason to pick up this short novel about the plant where eccentric genius Nikola Tesla conducted some of his most dangerous experiments. This should serve as an appetizer to the return of Repairman Jack sometime in the very near future (yes, it’s actually happening). For the many fans of both Jack and the Adversary Cycle, Easter eggs abound everywhere, adding to what is a thrilling story on its own.

On Wardenclyffe, Long Island, Charles Atkinson begins an internship working for the enigmatic inventor, choosing to forgo a lucrative job at General Electric for a shot at making history. Charles carries a secret from England that is kept hidden from society, one that changes the dynamic of a character who could have been a mere bystander in this story to one with great depth.

Tesla has plans for a worldwide wireless energy source, but unfortunately has run out of funding. He has trudged onward, hoping for a savior to help him after the criminal acts of Thomas Edison against him. Tesla’s attempts have some strange and dangerous results, such as fish jumping out of the river to their deaths, and the disappearance of other animals, while succeeding in lighting up bulbs several miles away.

For those familiar with the otherworldly forces in the Adversary series can sense that the experiments just might open up something much more dangerous than corrupt businessmen.  Beneath a tower, something has come forth, something that threatens to alter fate of humanity.

Enter the mysterious Rudolf Drexler, representative of the Septimus Order, an ancient organization that has its tendrils in the mechanisms of major events in the scope of human history. He offers Tesla everything he needs to succeed… for a price. When the inventor accepts, the experiments lurch forward in dark steps, and Charles finds how devastating the efforts are. Something has crept forth from beyond: something that is changing everyone who ventures beneath the tower.

What results is a thriller that is a welcome addition to the canon of F. Paul Wilson, a tale that will enthrall  fans of The Keep and Nightworld, whetting the appetites of those jonesing for the return of readers’ favorite Jack.

 

Reviewed by David Simms

 

 

Posted on June 20, 2019 by , Reply
First « 12345 » Last