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Short Fiction Review: “Mutter” by Jess Landry

“Mutter” by Jess Landry (in Fantastic Tales of Terror: History’s Dark Secrets edited by Eugene Johnson)

Crystal Lake Publishing, 2018

ISBN-13: 978-1644679685

Available: Paperback, Kindle edition

 

“Mutter” is the hands-down favorite of most reviewers in this star-filled anthology. They are dead on with this opinion, as the story is written with a fine style that draws attention to it from the first paragraph. In this Crystal Lake collection, authors retold major events in history, usually with a supernatural element, or at least a strong sense of horror. Many evoke the best of The Twilight Zone series, with takes on societal and historical notions that should be dealt with, yet are often swept under the rug. Landry does something special with her pair of characters, who board the Hindenburg, and ultimately have a role in how the zeppelin crashes on that fateful day. The characters make the horrific gears go, and her execution here is perfect. Hopefully, readers will be seeing a lot more of Landry’s work in the near future.

 

Reviewed by Dave Simms

 

Editor’s note: “Mutter” is a nominee on the final ballot of the 2018 Bram Stoker Award in the category of Superior Achievement in Short Fiction. Typically Monster Librarian does not review anything shorter than novella-length, but we are making an exception for the Stoker Awards.

 

Posted on May 4, 2019 by , Reply

Graphic Novel Review: Bone Parish Volume 1 by Cullen Bunn, art by Jonas Scharf

Bone Parish Volume 1 by Cullen Bunn, art by Jonas Scharf

BOOM! Studios, 2018

ISBN: 9781684153541

Available: Paperback

Bone Parish is, frankly, one of the better Stoker-nominated books I read for Monster Librarian. As a new fan of the Harrow County series, I like Bunn’s writing style. While this is a departure from the backwoods of that Southern Gothic dark fairy tale, it is a welcome change.

The Winters family, a New Orleans crime family, has concocted and is trafficking a new designer hallucinogenic drug made from the ashes of the dead, simply called “ash”, and it is becoming extremely popular. Those who ingest the ashes experiece memories from the life of the individual who previously inhabited the physical body. Other crime families are noticing the success of the Winters and want to buy them out (or take them out), to obtain control over the creation and flow of the lucrative drug trade. Grace Winters (with deceased husband Andre at her side, thanks to his ashes), is not willing to give up the family business, and this means war. Son Brae is vying to take over, while daughter Brigitte, the only family member living who knows how to make the drug, secludes herself in her morgue workshop, working constantly to keep up with demand. The two younger brothers, Wade and Leon, act as the enforcers of the family, ensuring money and distribution go smoothly, but they begin to question the family business. A confrontation eventually leaves the brothers in a deadly situation. Luckily for one of them, Mother Winters made sure to provide them with the ashes of a former soldier to help them just in case, but is it enough?

Between Bunn’s compelling story and Scharf’s artwork, it’s no wonder that Bone Parish Volume 1 has been nominated for a 2018 Stoker Award. I’m going to be adding this to my personal collection as well as recommending it for my library to purchase. I definitely recommend Bone Parish to anyone who likes a good crime story merged into their horror. Highly recommended.

Contains: blood, gore

 

Reviewed by Lizzy Walker

Editor’s note: Bone Parish Volume 1 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 3, 2019 by , Reply

Book Review: Dark and Distant Voices by Tim Waggoner


Dark and Distant Voices by Tim Waggoner

Nightscape Press, 2018

ISBN: 9781938644252

Available: Kindle, Paperback

Dark and Distant Voices is a Stoker-nominated collection from Tim Waggoner. This collection presents 19 blood-curdling tales of creepiness, which will haunt your dreams. The motif which pushes the stories along is the idea that there exist dark voices you can’t quite figure out where they’re speaking from, telling you bone chilling truths.

Standout stories include “Blood and Bone”, which gives us a particularly great monster tale;  “Doozer Is a Happy Cancer”, a trippy story which concerns a homeless man who lives in a tent city with a population that keeps shrinking for some terrible, dark reason; and “Sky-Watching”, which blends events from the writer’s life with a dark and grim tale that brings us some really dark and blood-curdling horror.

Dark and Distant Voices will keep you awake at night, as you wonder if any of these monsters Waggoner tells us about lie in wait for you. Recommended for adults. It’s far too grim, violent, and terrifying for any child.

 

Reviewed by Ben Franz

 

Editor’s note: Dark and Distant Voices is a nominee on the final ballot for the 2018 Stoker Awards in the category of Superior Achievement in a Fiction Collection. 

Posted on May 3, 2019 by , Reply
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