The Awakening- by Brett McBean - A wonderfully dark coming of age story

5 of 5 Stars     Review copy

"In the small Midwestern town of Belford, an old man sat gazing out the window."  From this very simple beginning comes a story of friendship, loss, first love, and getting to know the truth about others and yourself.

Sometimes, within the first few pages of a new book, you know you're reading something special.  This is one of those times.

The Awakening is on par with Stephen King's story, The Body, which was the basis of the movie "Stand By Me." It is a story that, at times made me chuckle and also brought me to tears, more than once.  When the truth is revealed, it was unexpected and enlightening.  An epic tale of the Summer between Middle School and High School.  A Summer which changes young Toby Fairchild forever.

Brett McBean really managed to capture the spirit of life in a small town and the dialog involving the fourteen-year-olds in his book was exceptional.

"'Yeah, well, after tomorrow, we won't have to worry about getting beaten up by Dwayne.'  Frankie threw a few clumsy punches.

'It takes a lot longer than one day to become a boxer,' Toby said.

'Yeah, but I'm super good.  Like Muhammad Ali, I'm gonna float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!' He threw some more punches.

'More like float like an elephant and sting like a poodle.'"

The Awakening didn't exactly end the way I wanted it too, but the author's choice resulted in a much better story.

I had been wanting to read Brett McBean for sometime and this was a good introduction.  It certainly won't be the last time I read his work.

Originally published as a signed, limited edition book, which can be purchased on the secondary market for hundreds of dollars.  Thankfully, The Awakening will be released on August 15th, 2016 as as a trade paperback and e-book, from Bloodshot Books so everyone can read this amazing work. The Awakening is available now for pre-order.  Plus, if you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you'll be able to read it at no additional charge and if you're an Amazon Prime member, you'll be able to borrow it for FREE through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

Brett McBean is an award-winning horror and thriller author who lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and daughter.

United States of Japan - by Peter Tieryas - A thoroughly enjoyable alternate history novel

4 of 5 Stars     Review copy

United States of Japan is Peter Tieryas's third book, it began as "a story revolving around the tragic events on the Asian side of WWII." The book is inspired by Philip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle, his time at Electronic Arts, and his experiences traveling in Asia.

For the most part, I've never been much of a fan of alternate history stories, but John Liberto's cover art caught my attention and I did enjoy the Amazon Prime series The Man in the High Castle, so I decided to take a chance.

As in The Man in the High Castle the Japanese have taken control of much of the West Coast following the Asia-Pacific War of WWII. The Germans exerting an influence in what was once the Eastern United States, but that's where the similarities end.

This story begins in one of the Japanese internment camps during the war. After their liberation by the Japanese Empire the action quickly moves to 1988.

The times are very different in the 1988 under the rule of the Japanese Empire. There is so much going on in this story. there are many little details woven into the tale. Marvels like "porticals", very addicting, iPhone like devices. There's a little used technique where "private messengers were making phones powered by the biochemistry of their body, electric pulses from the heart, additional radio connectors integrated into their intestines." And Mechas—robotic soldiers that were as tall as skyscrapers—vigilantly guarding the skies against enemies outside and within.

When a video game emerges that posits a world where the allies won, a game censor and an Imperial Government agent discover truths about the empire that make them question their loyalty.

There is a marked difference in culture between the America I grew up in and the United States of Japan as envisioned by Peter Tieryas. It's a story filled with wild ideas. The war may have ended forty year ago, but it's not exactly a peaceful time. There's a radical resistance group which calls themselves the George Washingtons who employ a particularly horrific torture involving genetically engineered ants with a taste for human flesh.

Available as an e-book, in paperback, and through audible from Angry Robot Books The United States of Japan was a compelling read, thoroughly entertaining, and the ultimate "what if?" story.

Peter Tieryas is an Asian-American writer. In addition to writing United States of Japan, he is the author of the collection Watering Heaven and the novel Bald New World. He attended the University of California Berkeley. Tieryas is a Lead Character Technical Director at Sony Pictures Imageworks and has worked at LucasArts as both a technical artist and technical writer.

The Sludge - by David Bernstein - As much fun as going to the drive-in for a B-movie spectacular

5 of 5 Stars    Review copy

Take a milk truck full of toxic waste and dump it into a lake where sealed barrels of contaminants have been dumped before.  No harm right?  Wrong. Add the Garrett brothers hiding out from the law and then mix in a group of unwary hikers, stir vigorously and you have the perfect formula for...disaster.

I won't go into a lot of detail on the plot, that would spoil all the fun, but that's the key word...fun.  The Sludge is the kind or story I used to love seeing on the drive-in movie screen, only in book form, preying on your imagination.

Disturbing in places and gleefully graphic, reading The Sludge is the equivalent of pigging out on your favorite junk food. You know it's not good for you, but it's oh, so tasty.

If you love monster mayhem, you'll love this quick read from David Bernstein.

The Sludge is available in both paperback and e-book formats from Great Old Ones Publishing.

David Bernstein is originally from a small town in Upstate New York.  He now resides in NYC and misses being surrounded by chainsaw-wielding maniacs. David writes all kinds of horror, from hair-raising ghost stories to gore-filled slashers and apocalyptic tales of terror.

Sleep Paralysis - by Patrick Lacey - A collection of horror sure to haunt your dreams

4 of 5 Stars     Review copy

Over the centuries, symptoms of Sleep Paralysis have been described in many ways and often attributed to an "evil" presence: unseen night demons in ancient times, the old hag in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and alien abductors. Almost every culture throughout history has had stories of shadowy evil creatures that terrify helpless humans at night. People have long sought explanations for this mysterious sleep-time paralysis and the accompanying feelings of terror.

In his new collection Patrick Lacey presents eighteen tales of horror to keep you up at night.

Worm Garden - "A Quaker cemetery dating back to the seventeenth century, sometimes referred to as the Worm Garden because of the unusual moisture in the soil that lasted most of the year."  The perfect setting for best friend paranormal investigators who share more than an interest in ghosts.

Operation Parasite -A deftly told story of a man who believes an evil corporation has bio-engineered parasites which are now in each of us waiting to take control.  Is it a story of one man's raging paranoia...or is he actually telling the truth.

Pen Pals - A totally cool tale of a third grader assigned a pen pal who has some frightening powers.

Downing In Filth - A delightfully disgusting story of the host of a "Hoarders" type TV show who becomes afflicted after a strange encounter at one subject's home.  "Long live the filth,"

Lost and Found - The story of a boy with a speech impediment who doesn't stutter when talking to a dead girl.

First Bell - A sad ghost story set on the one year anniversary of a school shooting. Poignant and touching.

Send Your End - "Send Your End.  It's a secret website with a generic black background and a single field in which to type a password.  After typing in the password, the screen is filled with thumbnail of videos and an option to submit.  There are thousands."  A story of a strange addiction.  Disturbing, yet well-told.

The Lynnwood Vampires - A gritty tale of a new cult taking over a community and one father's fight to protect his daughter.  We hear the words, "It's just a phase." quite often, but when does a phase become something worse.

Norton - The familiar story of a stuffed animal with something evil within.  This tale of such a bunny takes an interesting turn.

Cold Call - "I'd sell my soul for a second chance."  Be careful what you wish for.  You never know who might me listening.

Bad Egg - A woman whose biological clock is ticking wants a baby in the worst way. Patrick Lacey is happy to oblige with this crazy tale.

Critter Marrow - If there is a theme in this collection, I'd have to say it's the author's ability to take the simplest day-to-day activities and inject an element of horror to give the reader something different.  This time it's the spam folder for a work e-mail system.

Last Words - "I think that everyone is really two different people.  There's the person you are to the world, and there's the person you are to yourself.  In my experience, they're quite...incompatible." When Peter finds a hidden trap door in the basement of his recently deceased father's basement those words take on a whole new meaning.

Lost Things - A homeless man, a dumpster, and a baby and voilà, an instant horror story.

The Boss - One of the stranger stories in this collection, but truthfully the weirdest part is someone making 50K a year flipping burgers for a living.

Mrs. Alto's Garden - As I read this tale, I couldn't keep from thinking, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?"  In Mrs. Alto's garden the answer is quite different than the one in the children's nursery rhyme.

Big Bertha - Big Bertha is the oldest game in the arcade.  I've always found arcades to be creepy, especially when they're closed and they don't want you to leave.

Full Disclosure - The collection finishes with another ghost story.  A ghost who haunts his old apartment and falls in love with it's newest tenant, but then she brings home a cuckoo clock with something evil attached.  I loved this story.  My wife works at a nursing home and occasionally when a resident passes they will leave some personal item behind and my wife will bring it home.  I always worry that she'll bring home some stray spirit.

Admittedly some stories were stronger than others, but they were all entertaining as Patrick Lacey repeatedly took an everyday situation and turned it on its head.

Recommended.

Sleep Paralysis, from Great Old Ones Publishing, is available now in both paperback and e-book formats.

Patrick Lacey says he was born and raised in a haunted house.  Which, if true, would explain a lot. He currently spends his nights and weekends writing about things that make the general public uncomfortable.  He lives in Massachusetts with his wife, his Pomeranian, his cat, and his muse, who is likely trying to kill him.

The Conveyance - by Brian W. Matthews - On the surface Emersville looks like a lovely little village, but looks can be deceiving

5 of 5 Stars     Review copy

The first third of The Conveyance was about ordinary people leading mostly ordinary lives.  Before you know it, Brian W. Matthews lulls the reader into a comfort zone brought on by his easy-going writing style.

Matthews has a gift for developing strong characters who interact with one another in the most genuine of ways. Therapist/patient, husband/wife, best friends  Every one of those relationships was one-hundred-percent believable. It's a good thing too, because a lot of what happens in The Conveyance requires readers to check their disbelief at the door.

A visit to Emersville and a quaint little shop called Lost Desires and it's like Brad and Toni have suddenly found themselves in The Twilight Zone.  It's at this shop where they purchase a Raggedy Ann type doll which will only be a a small part of the terror that's coming.

Mixed with the terror were a number of of nice similes.  Things like, "This part of Michigan was farm country, wide open and flatter than the Lions' defense."  And, "I turned to face my house, a sagging, post-war rambler that was one-part charm and three-parts home maintenance nightmare." I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff.

The Conveyance was one of my most enjoyable reads in recent memory.  It does stray into some strange territory, yet manages to convey a good bit of terror along the way.  Plenty of twists and turns, a dollop of violence, and periods of immense sorrow.

If you like a gritty story, with great characters, and a bit of the fantastic.  You can't get much better than The Conveyance.  I found it to be a hoot and a half.

Highly recommended.

The Conveyance is published by JournalStone and is available in both paperback and e-book formats.

By day, Brian W. Matthews works as a financial planner, but after the sun goes down he scribes stories meant to entertain and, perhaps, terrify.  When he isn't developing investment portfolios or crafting tales of monsters and madmen, he tries valiantly to knock a little white ball over the rolling green hills of a golf course without hitting traps or trees.  His previous works include two short stories, both of which appeared in the anthology, Foreshadows: The Ghosts of Zero. His novels include Forever Man and its sequel, Revelation.  I've read them both and can highly recommend them.  Brian lives in southeast Michigan with his wife, daughter, and two step-daughters.

Never Say Die: Stories of The Zombie Apocalypse - by Stevie Kopas - A diverse collection of zombie horror

4 of 5 Stars     Review copy

Never Say Die: Stories of the Zombie Apocalypse is a collection where writer, Stevie Kopas, gets to stretch her wings within the zombie sub-genre and manages to deliver 5 unique perspectives on what such an event may bring.

Jack - Jack Abbot has been searching for his sister for a whole year.  Much has happened in that time.  He's managed to make a new life for himself as part of the New Alliance, a zombie-free zone.  He's even gotten married.  So when Jack finally finds his sister, Maya, you might think that would be the end of the story, but you'd be wrong.  Oh, so wrong.  A dark tale well-told.

Gordon & Elena - All children, under the age of twelve, have fallen into some kind of inexplicable coma.  What happens net has the 24 hour news outlets speculating. "Terrorism. The Rapture.  Aliens.  Gamma Ray Burst.  Zombies."  Through it all, Gordon & Elena are trying to get on with their divorce.  A wonderfully inventive twist on the zombie scenario.

Patient 63 - Finally a cure for a disease which has left half the world dead, or worse, infected. Well, maybe not.  Proof again that author, Stevie Kopas, really understands the zombie sub-genre.  This was my personal favorite in a diverse collection of zombie lit.

Rosie - The zombie apocalypse from a child's point of view with a great opening paragraph. "I'm always really scared when there's a thunderstorm.  Usually Mommy or Daddy will sing to me until I fall asleep or until the rain stops, but Daddy tried to hurt me, so Mommy killed him."

Trevor - Trevor works in customer service, a thankless job where customers dish out verbal abuse  like it's their God-given right.  When things fall apart as a result of the zombie apocalypse, Trevor sees it as an opportunity to exact revenge on some of the worst offenders.  Working in the same field, I can't say as I blame him.

If you're looking for a quick zombie fix this Summer, Stevie Kopas has just what you're looking for.

Never Say Die: Stories of The Zombie Apocalypse is currently a Kindle exclusive.  If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge and if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE through the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

Stevie Kopas was born and raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. She  is the author of The Breadwinner Trilogy.  The Breadwinner, Haven, and All Good Things all available from Permuted Press and a series I can heartily recommend.

Stevie currently resides in Panama City Beach, Florida and tries to spend as much time as she can soaking up the sun.  She's also the Managing Editor of the website Horror Metal Sounds and a writer for the site. Offline, Stevie is a telecommunications professional.

Mister White - by John C. Foster -

4 of 5 Stars

The book starts with the question, "Who is Mister White?" Even now, having read the book, I couldn't tell you.  Not because I don't want to give anything away, but because I really don't know. What I do know is if I hear his name I should fear for my life.

If you work in the field of espionage and..."If you heard the name Mr. White you are already on borrowed time."

Lewis Edgar heard the name and now he's on the run.  No matter where he goes people wind up dead and now he's wanted as a person of interest in those cases, but all he can do is continue to run.  Having to change identities with the frequency the average person changes their attire.

The story is enhanced with having his wife, Cat, and daughter, Hedde, on the run separate from Lewis.  I particularly liked the scenes with Hedde dealing with some local hooligans.

Mister White is not a perfect spy thriller or a supernatural horror tale, but has elements of both. Although I found the writing to be choppy in places, once I got into the heart of the story the suspense was thick and the action unrelenting.

There is some serious weirdness in this book.  Can Mister White be killed.  Can you kill a nightmare?

In the end, I still don't know who or even what Mister White is, but if I'm honest with myself, I don't really want to know.

Mister White is published by Grey Matter Press and is available in paperback and e-book formats.

John C. Foster was born in Sleepy Hollow, NY, and has been afraid of the dark for as long as he can remember. A writer of thrillers and dark fiction, Foster lives in New York City with the actress Linda Jones and their dog, Coraline.