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Book Review: It, Watching by Elizabeth Massie


It, Watching by Elizabeth Massie

Createspace, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1548161590

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

In her first collection in several years, Elizabeth Massie returns with a thrilling collection of short stories. The Bram Stoker-winning author of Sin Eater has put together eighteen tales, several of which will be new to readers, and there is not a clunker in the bunch. For those not familiar with Massie’s work, her range of writing is vast, and effortless to read.

To detail the individual stories here would be to spoil any surprise within the pages. What you will encounter is a voice in Southern Gothic style that is like no other.  Her entries in the horror genre often begin in quiet tones, embracing the reader– right before the darkness strikes. It’s not easy to successfully write humor, but Massie nails the light-hearted with aplomb, usually in a south-of-the-Mason-Dixon manner, until the reader realizes something deeper and darker is afoot. This collection is on par with The Fear Report and Shadow Dreams, as one of Massie’s best collections, and it should be an integral part of any horror fan’s library, or those who simply love great story. One cannot go wrong with reading Massie.  Highly recommended

Reviewed by Dave Simms.

 

Posted on February 9, 2018 by , Reply

Book Review: In the Valley of the Sun by Andy Davidson

In the Valley of the Sun: A Novel by Andy Davidson

Skyhorse Publishing, 2017

ISBN-13: 978-1510721104

Available: Hardcover, paperback, Kindle edition, audiobook

 

In the Valley of the Sun is Andy Davidson’s first novel. It walks a thin line between the genres of Southern Gothic and classic Western. Andy Davidson has a gift for building atmosphere; at times, West Texas drips off the page like humid air. The world is made vivid: you can picture the rust of the trucks,  the stress on the sheriff’s belt, and the smells of the badlands. There are plenty of grim settings, balanced by gorgeous prose.

It is absolutely a monster novel. The story kicks off with the main character, Travis, waking up covered in blood. While is isn’t immediately clear, once the reader realizes what’s happening, the story takes on a dangerous, otherworldly edge. While the word “vampire” is never specifically mentioned, as the story progresses, there is no doubt what monsters we are dealing with.  These are not Anne Rice’s “sexy” vampires; Travis is in trouble.

In addition to his supernatural worries, Travis has financial problems. He doesn’t have the money to park his truck and camper at the campground run by Annabelle Gaskin. Many of the best moments in the book are Travis’ conversations with Annabelle’s ten-year-old son. These moments are both tense and emotional, adding depth to the story.

Davidson does an excellent job in jumping between different characters’ third person point-of-views. and a variety of time periods. It all works, and is not jarring at all.

In the Valley of the Sun is a close cousin of Stephen Graham Jones’ Mongrels. While the two books focus on different monsters and cultural backgrounds, both take the same off-color look at the American South.

This is not the kind of horror novel that would benefit from a marketing department blasting out its nature. Davidson definitely has the potential to become a powerful writer in the genre of literary horror. The reality is that this is a fine debut of a strong new voice in horror fiction, and a book that can appeal to both horror and mainstream readers. In the Valley of the Sun is a thought-provoking and entertaining read that should be in every library collection. Highly recommended.

 

Reviewed by David Agranoff

 

Posted on November 2, 2017 by , Reply

Book Review: Alabaster: The Good, The Bad, and the Bird by Caitlin R. Kiernan, art by Daniel Warren Johnson


Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird by Caitlin R. Kiernan, art by Daniel Warren Johnson

Dark Horse, 2016

ISBN: 9781616557966

Available: Hardcover, Kindle edition, comiXology

 

The trade paperback opens with a woman in the fetal position, filled in with the night sky, against a stark white background, and narration about personal devils, the mind, and a pale horse. What unfolds is a story of death, resurrection, revenge, and the journey of Dancy Flammarion from death to life. Set in the American South, Dancy, an albino woman, is dragged out of death, despite her refusal to the Angel to return, by twin sisters with questionable reasons for bringing Dancy back. The sisters pray to an old goddess, partake in blood rituals, and control ancient beasts that take someone from Dancy, a woman she loves more than life itself. To fight the twins and powers of darkness, it will take Dancy, returned from the dead, the strength of the woman she loves, and a small snarky bird who speaks to those who understand with a Southern accent.

This is not the first story to feature Dancy Flammarion, but it is the first I have read. The story is compelling enough that I want to seek out the other works that Kiernan has written about her. Dancy is incredibly strong, physically and emotionally, and is a well-written character. She’s mysterious in this volume, and I have to know more about her. I recommend this book if you like a good supernatural tale. Recommended.

This volume collects Alabaster: The Good, the Bad, and the Bird #1-5.

Contains: blood, gore, nudity

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker


Posted on November 13, 2016 by , Reply
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