Home » Posts tagged "Stoker Awards 2018" (Page 5)

Book Review: Lost Highways: Dark Fictions From the Road edited by D. Alexander Ward

Lost Highways: Dark Fictions From The Road edited By D. Alexander Ward

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1643704722

Available: Paperback, eBook(Kindle)

 

On the open road, opportunities abound.  Anything can happen: you can hitchhike your way across the country depending on the kindness of strangers; go on a pilgrimage to find a lost relative last known to be in a cult; dispose of a cheating ex; run for your life from a mysterious pursuer; clean up your act by traveling through time to hunt yourself; explore the history of a deadly stretch of road.  You can get revenge.  Try the local cuisine, or become it.  Rob a gas station or stop a heist.  Meet a ghost.  Tour the country.  Take a ride with Death.  All this, and more, awaits you on the road.

Lost Highways: Dark Fictions From The Road had a lot of fun stories– 20 to be exact– and a bonus of 5 works of art.  The title got my attention from the start, and I was curious what tales of the road I would find.  I was not disappointed.  The majority of the stories had plotlines that kept me interested and challenged me.  Many gave me twists that I did not expect.  The tone throughout these works was creepy, with the occasional feeling of vindication or awe.  The characters were believable for their situations.  There was enough background to set each story up.  Usually, I was thrown straight into the action and the details of the past popped up as needed.  Fun stuff.  The descriptions and pacing flowed well.  The only complaint I can make is that there were a few grammar issues, mostly typos.  My favorite stories were: Mr. Hugsy by Robert Ford; Jim’s Meats by Kelli Owen; Not From Detroit by Joe R. Lansdale; Room 4 At The Haymaker by Josh Malerman; and The Widow by Rio Youers.  I have not read any of these authors’ work previously, with the exception of I Can Taste the Blood by Josh Malerman. Recommended for adult readers.

 

Reviewed by Aaron Fletcher

 

Editor’s note: Lost Highways: Dark Fictions from the Road is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in an Anthology.

 

Posted on May 5, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Monstress Volume 3: The Haven by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda

Monstress Volume 3: The Haven by Marjorie Liu, art by Sana Takeda

Image Comics, 2018

ISBN-13: 9781534306912

Available: Paperback, Kindle, comiXology

In Volume 3, Maika Halfwolf discovers more about her mother’s plan, herself, and her past, just as Zinn (the Monstrum living within her), is putting together their own plan. War between the Arcanics and humans is imminent. Maika may have no choice but to work with Zinn just to survive the entities close at her heels. Ren and Kippa still follow Maika in her quest as they make it to Tear Shed in the Pontus Waters, a place of refugees and neutral ground. There Maika reluctantly makes a deal with the Royal Engineer to help repair the region’s shield wall, which resembles a Monstrum itself. The Engineer, and others, are convinced that because of Maika’s bloodline, she will be able to make the repairs to the shield. In exchange, Maika and her allies will receive sanctuary in Tear Shed. While all of this is going on, the Cumea are plotting, the Blood Queens are closing in, and enemies and allies alike are on their way. Maika’s bloodline also opens the laboratory and archives of the Shaman-Empress, a place that has been locked for centuries. What greets Maika and Zinn is not only unexpected, but leads to major revelations for the Monstrum. Ren also commits the ultimate betrayal that results in Kippa’s abduction. I have no shame admitting that I cried when that discovery came to light. As with the two previous collected volumes, Professor Tam-Tam helps provide further context and history of the world of Monstress.

There is so much going on in this volume. I actually had to go back and reread sections of the previous two volumes to make sure that I was following everything that was going on. Most people would probably count this against Monstress, but I don’t see it that way. The world and storylines are so intricate that it is easy to miss something, unless you are paying close attention. As someone who likes to read and reread comic series, I appreciate this, and I am wondering when I do revisit the series what else I am going to pick up on that I missed before. I’m sure that there will be things on my next reading that will also fall into place based on a full reading. Liu is a great storyteller who has created such an immense world and tale that I don’t think it can all possibly be taken in with only one reading of Monstress.

I am so in love with Takeda’s artwork, so much so that I even requested from my favourite comic shop to pull her alternate covers for The Power of the Dark Crystal series for my box. That’s another series I recommend, but that is a story for another world…another time… Highly recommended.

Volume 3 collects issues 13-18.

Contains: blood, gore, nudity, PTSD, sexual situations

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: Monstress Volume 3: The Haven is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel. 

Posted on May 5, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Horror Express by John Connolly

Horror Express by John Connolly.

PS Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1786364098

Available: Hardcover

 

Non-fiction books in horror tend to be labors of love. Look to Stephen King’s Danse Macabre and Grady Hendrix’s Paperbacks from Hell for two amazing examples of examining the macro side of the horror genre. Then there are those authors who prefer to hone in on a single topic. John Connolly has done so here in Horror Express from the always quality PS Publishing. Connolly has long been a force in the thriller genre, especially with his dark thriller series starring PI Charlie Parker, ,the classic The Book of Lost Things and its successors.

Curiously, Connolly admits that he hadn’t watched the movie since he was a child. Why focus on a little known movie that he saw so long ago? Psychologically speaking, that’s a bit fascinating and intriguing, if a bit of a head-scratcher, since the film isn’t a classic either in cult status or in popular circles. but it will likely cause many to seek out the lost film.

Filmed in 1972, Horror Express is a Spanish film that stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, usually enough reason to watch. Set in 1906, the iconic pair discover a strange humanoid in the ice, and have to transport it across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express. As it evokes both the best of Hammer movies and John Carpenter’s The Thing, it’s easy to see why Connelly has this movie stuck in his craw. Even though it may not be well-known, countless gems do exist, and those of us who were weaned on horror films understand the passion for movies such as this.

Connolly separates the book into four sections, each chronicling his experience with the movie. They are: “The Excavation”; “The Protagonists”; “The Autopsy”; and “The Afterlife”.  What is most impressive is the way Connolly delves into the relationship between the two stars, and how they worked on this odd piece. Upon closer inspection, one can begin to draw parallels between his own dark novels and see how Horror Express  may have influenced him as an author. That section is a piece worth the purchase for diehard Connolly fans alone. His work has, in turn, influenced countless writers in the past twenty years so to dissect how an iconic member of the thriller/horror community was shaped is something that readers rarely get to experience. Recommended for film fans and those who can’t get enough of this fine author.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

Editor’s note: Horror Express is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Bram Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in Non-Fiction. 

 

Posted on May 5, 2019 by , Reply
First « 34567 » Last