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Book Review: You Shall Never Know Security by J.R. Hamantaschen

You Shall Never Know Security by J.R. Hamantaschen

West Pigeon Press, 2011

Available:  New Paperback, Kindle edition

ISBN-13: 9781466239920

 

You Shall Never Know Security is a collection of stories that can appropriately be described as dark, weird fiction. All of the stories draw some emotional reaction from the reader. They challenge the conventional definition of horror while using the very real feelings of human sorrow, fear, and guilt to build an expectation that always delivers something.

One of my favorite stories is “A Parasite Inside Your Brain”, about a woman who struggles with depression and a spider that has settled itself in her ear, lifting her mood. Which is the real parasite feeding off of her—the spider or the depression? “College” is about a student taking part in a psychology experiment that deals with morality and moral thinking; is it really just an experiment? “There’s Always Something In the Misfortune of Our Friends That Doesn’t Displease Us” describes the experience of an entity inhabiting a man who thrives on human conflict and witnessing awkward situations; it is a commentary on humanity and our fascination with bad news when it happens to others. The novella “There Must Be Lights Burning Brighter, Somewhere” starts with a senseless attack on a bar by an alien creature, and explores the feelings of survivor’s guilt in the aftermath.

Hamantaschen’s stories are beautifully written and quite brilliant in making the reader feel uncomfortable, sympathetic, and horrified all at the same time. There isn’t a bad story in the bunch. I thoroughly enjoyed You Shall Never Know Security and its play on human weakness and emotions. Highly recommended.

Contains: adult situations and graphic violence

Reviewed by Colleen Wanglund

 

Posted on March 18, 2016 by , Reply

Book Review: Voices of the Damned by Barbie Wilde

Voices of the Damned by Barbie Wilde
Short,Scary Tales Publications, 2015
ISBN-13: 978-1909640351
Available: Hardcover (new and used), Kindle edition
Inside these covers are eleven slices of hell from the mind of a new visionary of horror. Barbie Wilde appears to have vacationed in Dante’s creation and taken terror a couple of steps further.

Voices of the Damned, Wilde’s first collection of short stories, picks up where The Venus Complex, the author’s excellent debut crime novel, left off.   First off, this is a gorgeous book. The cover art, by none other than Clive Barker, sets the tone for a book written by a Cenobite herself.  Introducing each story is an exquisitely disturbing full-size image by artists including Barker, Nick Percival, Steve McGinnis, Danele Serra, Eric Gross, Tara Bush, Vincent Sammy, and Ben Baldwin.

The collection kicks off with “Sister Cilice,” the tale of how a nun falls from grace, first seen in Hellbound Hearts, the tribute anthology based on Barker’s “Hellraiser” world. Wilde continues the story with “The Cicilium Pandoric” and “The Cicilium Rebellion”, creating a full trilogy that explores the existence of the Cenobite she portrayed in Hellraiser II. Other highlights in this collection include “Zulu Zombies” and “American Mutant”. These epitomize Wilde’s style and vision.

A Barbie Wilde story can be filled with as much eroticism as it is with horror, and this collection shows her skill at interweaving them. Her writing exhibits unbridled brutality and fresh honesty in characterizations, never shying away from the grotesque or weird.  Inhibitions are nowhere to be found here, which is a very good thing. This writer becomes darker and bolder by the story. One can only wonder where her imagination will head next. It will likely be a nightmare many will embrace for years to come. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Dave Simms
Posted on November 30, 2015 by , Reply

Help a Reader Out: Victoria and Harris, Trapped In A Nightmare School

Guys, I found this! I have to admit it was totally by accident. I was browsing while my daughter looked through potential candidates for checkout at our public library, and this practically jumped out at me– it was right at my eye level (I’m short). The book is:

 

 The Cavendish School for Boys and Girls  by Claire Legrand

I was right on all the details, except that Victoria’s friend is named Lawrence, not Harris. And this is an even creepier book than I remembered it being. It’s over-the-top gothic and has a weird fiction feel to it as well. Edward Gorey would probably love it. If you have a tween who is into fantastic, creepy gothic stories, All Hallows’ Read is coming up soon.

 

This one’s for me. I am going bananas! I read this book just a few weeks ago and I can’t remember the name. A middle school girl, Victoria, who always does everything perfectly, is friends with Harris, who is awkward and embarrassing and plays the piano beautifully. One day Harris disappears from school and when she visits his parents they tell her he is visiting his grandmother, but something is clearly wrong. Kids keep disappearing from the school and even teachers seem frightened.

A boarding school has opened up on her street and when she goes to see if Harris is there, she is invited in by the proprietress who seems to think they’re alike. Eventually Victoria is trapped in the school and discovers Harris is there. It is a nightmarish, almost living building, and the job of the school is to mold everyone into behaving beautifully and identically. The cover was white with that kind of gothic look to the illustration and text that you see in a lot of children’s books now. I cannot remember the name of the book. The title was Miss or Mrs. ——- School for ——– or something similar. It’s a relatively new book. Can anyone place it?

 

Posted on August 21, 2015 by , Reply
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