Review: A Warning About Your Future Enslavement That You Will Dismiss As a Collection of Short Fiction and Essays - by Kit Power

4 of 5 Stars    Review copy

Nearly two years ago, to the day, I read and reviewed Godbomb! by Kit Power.  It was one of the most amazing books I read in 2015. Now Kit has returned with a collection of short stories and essays which are hard to describe, but I'm willing to give it my best shot here.

A Warning About Your Future Enslavement That You Will Dismiss As a Collection of Short Fiction and Essays covers a lot of ground and is loosely woven together with a story set in a future where most of human history has been forgotten or purposely covered up and a mid-level government employee is doing his best to uncover the truth through a series of stories uncovered in a hidden mainframe.

Truthfully, I have no idea what I've just read, I just know that I  thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  It's true that some of the stories were better than others, but the overall effect was a win.

Temüjin - Family, half-brothers, and revenge. "Loyalty comes first.  All else is dust."

The Chicken and the Three Gods - Original and intriguing story of a henhouse and their nemesis.  Told from the third person POV of the hens. 

Conference - An actual alien invasion taking place at a con.  Who would notice?

Valentine's Day - A subtle tale of the massacre. 

Wide Load - I felt real pain reading this story.  ...in Beccy's spell book, a single-word incantation was circled in black ink, with a small neat tick next to it.  Goldbricker."

Richard Madeley Is a Fucktard and We're All Going to Hell - "There are times when my rage cannot be adequately expressed in 140 characters."

Reverse Engineering - Bruce and June want to be parents.  In the future, it's not as easy as you might think.  A thought-provoking tale with a bit of a twist.

The Film That Made Me: Robocop - I enjoyed Kit's essay on his love of Robocop so much I actually rented and watched it for the first time in thirty years.

Cold Shock - A great story.  One of the best I've read this year.  A killer opening line, too.  "It takes twenty minutes for a submerged car to fill with water.  Seth doesn't even wake up for the first four."

My Brief Career as an Eleven Year Old Slave Trader - A primary school student's assignment to provide an account of events from the point of view of a slave trader.  A very interesting exercise.

Zombie Dad - Kit excels at opening lines.  "My dad's got a pretty good left jab, especially for a guy who's been dead for two years."

Keep It Up Son, Take a Look at what You Could Have Won - A favorite band goes in a new direction. Wow.

Feed the World - I'm thinking this story may have been inspired Do They Know It's Christmas by BandAid, the 1984 recording to raise funds to help the starving children in Ethiopia. "Where the only flowing water is the bitter sting of tears."

Like a Charm - A rookie cop purchases a bullet at a gun show which turns out to be a good luck charm.

Ted - Jason just loves the ragged old teddy.  The two are inseparable despite his mother's attempts to tear them apart.   Toy bears freak me out and Ted is no exception.

Enemies - Without saying as much, this wonderful short is likely a conversation with Charon the ferryman charged with transporting souls of the newly dead across the river Styx into the Underworld.

The Hand - I've played a lot of Texas-Hold-'Em over the years and Kit has managed to capture the adrenaline rush of high stakes poker in this amazing short.

Baptism - The bathing of a child turns into a horrible nightmare.

Time Out of Mind - What would you do if time travel was a thing?

The Final Setting of the Sun - About a three trillion gigaton fusion bomb called Larry.

The Bar at the Edge of the Desert - "But here’s the good bit. When you get to the end, you go to a bar, and they give you a drink. And you drink down the distilled essence of your life experiences, and you savour it, and it becomes a part of you. Then you leave the bar, and outside is a desert, and you cross the desert, and on the other side is another life, another set of experiences and lessons and stories and love and heartache. It never ends. That’s the good news.’"

Reading Kit Power never disappoints, if for no other reason than his work is far from ordinary.  Strongly recommended.

A Warning About Your Future Enslavement That You Will Dismiss As a Collection of Short Fiction and Essays is self-published and available now for your Kindle.  If you subscribe to Kindle Unlimited you can read it at no additional charge.  Also, if you are an Amazon Prime member you can read it for FREE using the Kindle Owners Lending Library.

Review: Bloodstained Wonderland - by Christopher Golden & James A. Moore

5 of 5 Stars

Several years ago, I got wind of a Limited Edition release from Earthing Publications, called Bloodstained Oz.  I've long been a fan of all things related to The Wizard of Oz and immediately set out on a quest to read this novella.  Since the work was out of print I had to look on the secondary market and finally found a copy for $100 and plunked down the cash and got to read what would become one of my favorite novellas in the last ten years.

That same Limited Edition signed hardcover now goes for over $200, but if you have Kindle Unlimited you can read it for no additional charge or buy the e-book for $2.99.

It took a long time, six years to be exact, but Golden and Moore finally got around to writing the sequel called Bloodstained Wonderland, and I immediately bought one of the 500 Signed Harcovers available from Earthling Publications and as of the writing of this review there are still some copies available through the publisher.

It's 1940 and when the story begins we meet Gayle Franklin and her friend Elisa.  The setting is London during what would come to me know as "The Blitz."

Th authors deftly tie what happens in this story to the events in Bloodstained Oz.  The tale is both wondrous and magical, yet frightening.  Christopher Golden and James A. Moore have taken another of our childhood memories and turned it into a bloody reign of terror orchestrated by the Wizard of Oz.  

"She looked toward the shape of demons, each clothed in forms almost familiar, dressed in nightmares made flesh.  A walrus galumphed into the room wearing a vest and a cravat.  It sported a derby on its wrinkled brow and the great tusks jutting from the mouth were as bloodied as the unicorn's horn.  Beyond that blubbery mass a dormouse pranced in, dressed in tattered finery.  The oddly delicate paws held the stretched face of a woman. just the face which had been peeled from the skull."

Bloodstained Oz is filled with unexpected twists and turns, and is devilishly violent.

"Where it touched the crown of his head, little rivulets of scarlet had trickled down to streak his face and mat his hair.  Around the inner rim of the hat were tiny claws or fangs that had punctured his forehead and scalp.  Gayle stared, somehow even more hollow than before.  The madness of these animals, of the flying cards, of all the rest had been nightmare enough, but this tophat was alive and it had tasted this man's blood."

Yes, Alice is in the story, but she's not the sweet, naive little girl from the Lewis Carroll story we all remember.  All of your favorite characters make an appearance, but all through the warped minds of Golden and Moore.

I loved having these childhood memories ripped apart and reimaged and I think you'll like it, too.  Go read the Kindle version of Bloodstained Oz first and then pick up one of the remaining Limited Edition copies of Bloodstained Wonderland and then prepare for Bloodstained Neverland.  I just hope we don't have to wait six years this time.

About the authors...

Christopher Golden is the New York Times bestselling author of such novels as Ararat, Snowblind, Tin Men, and many many more.  Golden co-created (with Mike Mignola) two cult favorite comic book series, Baltimore and Joe Golem: Occult Detective.  Golden is also co-host of the podcasts Three Guys with Beards and Defenders Dialogue, and the founder of the Merrimack Valley Halloween Book Festival.  Golden was born and raised in Massachusetts, where he still lives with his family.

James A. Moore is the author of over forty novels, including the critically acclaimed Fireworks, Under The Overtree, Blood Red, Blood Harvest, the Serenity Falls trilogy (featuring his recurring anti-hero, Jonathan Crowley) He has twice been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award and spent three years as an officer in the Horror Writers Association, first as Secretary and later as Vice President.

Review: Lost and Lonely - by Brian James Freeman

5 of 5 Stars     Review copy

Lost and Lonely is a novella-sized collection of five short stories that can be read in a single sitting or stretched out over a  week.

Losing Everything Defines You - This short begins with a familiar trope...

"If you're listening to this, I must be dead."

After Wendy and Andrew vanished the question that must be asked is, "Did the husband do it?"  They always suspect the husband, but in this instance, he was questioned but never arrested.

I love Freeman's turn of phrase...

"Each night I cower in bed, the covers pulled up to my neck, the darkness wrapped around me like the grip of a dead lover."

Loving Roger - Starts with a riveting opening line...

"Everyone makes mistakes, a truth Patty knew all too well, which was why she believed in the power of forgiving and forgetting."

A story of mistaken identity, or is it?

How the Wind Lies - "Never speak a lie, lest thy lie becometh the truth."  

This short is set well in the past, during the time of westward expansion.  Something is killing the buffaloes.  Each found with two puncture holes and drained of all blood.  William, Sarah and their three children had left the colonies to escape this very threat that has now appeared at their doorstep.  I don't want to reveal too much, but I loved where this story went.

Perfect Little Snowflakes - Melissa was just 16.

"One day she was a teenage girl in love with her boyfriend, the next day she was a mother-to-be with no idea what to do."

True, they had options, but what happens next is not what anyone would expect.

The Plague of Sadness - A 9-1-1 call that goes awry and its aftermath.  A story that is incredibly short, but left me totally drained as a reader.

I found myself hungry for every word on the pages of Lost and Lonely.  Each story in this collection is powerful in its own unique way.  They are the kind of stories which leave you restless.  The kind that stay with you long after you put the book down.  Also, Glenn Chadbourne's illustrations throughout are magnificent.

Recommended.

Lost and Lonely is currently available as a Signed Limited Edition Hardcover from Cemetery Dance http://www.cemeterydance.com/lost-and-lonely.html

From the author's bio.  Brian James Freeman sold his first short story when he was fourteen years old and his first novel when he was twenty-four.  His novella, The Painted Darkness, took the Internet by storm as an eBook during the summer of 2010, reaching more than 30,000 readers in the first few months after publication.  The book was published in hardcover in December 2010 by Cemetery Dance Publications, with the signed editions selling out in just 24 hours.  Freeman is also the author of Blue November Storms, which was recently revised and republished, and Black Fire.

Since December 2008, Freeman has been the managing editor of Cemetery Dance magazine, where his column "The Final Question" appears.  Freeman is also the publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has worked with Stephen King, Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan, Mick Garris, Stewart O'Nan, and other acclaimed authors.

He lives in Pennsylvania with his wife, two cats, and two German Shorthaired Pointers.  More books are on the way.

Review: Episodes of Violence - by David Bernstein

5 of 5 Stars     Review copy

It's been nearly six years that I've been reviewing horror books on my personal blog.  The first work I ever reviewed was the novella Torment by Greg Chapman.  14 people saw that post.  More than 700 reviews have followed and yesterday's review was seen by nearly 250 people.  I can't thank you enough for your support as we near 100,000 views over six years.

I mention this not so much to toot my own horn, but I admit It does feel good.  I say this to let you know that the book I'm reviewing today, Episodes of Violence is, by far, the most brutal, savage, murderous, and vicious novel I have read in all of that time. Yes, it's that good.  Don't even bother with the rest of the review.  Just do yourself a favor and read this before you read anything else in 2018.

And now for the review.  At the very beginning of Episodes of Violence, we meet the blood-thirsty trio responsible for most of the action, Sage, her boyfriend Daemon, and their best friend Bobby.  It all starts in the opening paragraph...

"The barn-shaped mailbox exploded as the baseball bat smashed through it.  Various-sized jagged pieces of red plastic scattered into the air, a few pinging off the hockey mask Sage was wearing."

Mailbox baseball was just the beginning...

"What (Daemon) really wanted was to do something that wouldn't be forgotten.  Something that would horrify the town and baffle the law."

Bernstein has always exercised an "in your face" writing style, but never more effectively than in his latest effort as he delivers again and again on the book's title with a vivid writing technique that's more akin to watching a movie than reading a book.

"A naked woman with tattoos covering her chest, arms and thighs lay on the stained and torn leather couch.  Her nose, eyebrows, and ears contained hoop-shaped piercings and each of her nipples had a thick bar through it.  Her legs clearly hadn't been shaved in some time, the hairs like a layer of fuzz, and her bush sprouted up like the head of a huge broccoli floret.  She looked at Sage and then at Daemon, giving them a weak smile and wave.  'Come to party?'"

And...

"He braced himself as much as possible for the ringing his ears were going to feel, knowing it wouldn't matter.  He pulled the trigger with his sweat-slicked finger.  The gun roared and jumped in his hands.  Baldie's crotch vanished in a spray of fabric, flesh, and blood that decorated the grass behind him."

And that just begins to scratch the surface of what you'll find inside Episodes of Violence.

I've never been disappointed by anything I've read by David, but truthfully, I don't believe I've ever enjoyed myself more.  There is more that just an ultra-violent dissertation here.  There's a story with depth, characters we can love and empathize with, and others we can love to hate.

As long as you don't mind sex, blood, and guts, I can all but guarantee that you'll love this book.

Episodes of Violence is available in paperback and e-book formats from Sinister Grin Press.

From the author's bio.  David Bernstein is originally from a small town in Upstate New York called Salisbury Mills.  He now resides in NYC and misses being surrounded by chainsaw-wielding maniacs and wild backwoods people that like to eat raw human flesh.  He’s grown used to the city, though hiding bodies is much harder there.  He is the author of Amongst the Dead, Damaged Souls, The Tree Man, Witch Island, Relic of Death, Apartment 7C, and now Episodes of Violence.  David writes all kinds of horror, from hair-raising ghost stories to gore-filled slashers and apocalyptic tales of terror.

Guest Post: David Bernstein and "A Little Bit About Some Shit"

A Little Bit About Some Shit

First, I'd like to thank Frank for inviting me to write something on his blog and for taking his time to read and review my newest novel, Episodes of Violence.  I come from a time when the greatest, trashiest, most gore-filled and outrageous movies were made.  I gobbled them up to no end, nothing ever too nasty.

With Episodes of Violence, I wanted to go back and relive those glory days of 80s movie magic in book form.  I made sure to push the ridiculous, but also make it believable as if it could be based on a true story.  (Hey, you never know).  Episodes of Violence is a mix of Toxic Avenger meets Justified or Hell or High Water.  In other words, it's fucked up young adults with no morals wreaking havoc in small town USA with a revenge tale looming and blooming like a building storm.

Episodes is a real-world novel.  I wouldn't exactly say it's horror, but I wouldn't say it isn't.  It's what could, and has happened, in the world we live in.  I find this kind of writing more intense and scary than vampires, demons and other such monsters.  This book is more like The Unhinged and different from my other novels because it isn't a straight to the bone horror novel.

Well, enough about that.

I have a one-year-old daughter and since she was born I haven't felt the need to write.  I haven't written in over a year and a half. (Well except for a short story for the C.H.U.D. Anthology which I certainly could not pass up).  I'm not sure if it's just me or if you have to experience having a child to know what I mean about not needing to write.  I want to spend as much time with my daughter as possible and soak it all in because everyone keeps telling me it goes so fast.  So I've put the writing aside for a bit.  It's like I don't need it.  (Not to mention the bullshit I went through and am still going through with publishers—closing down, not paying... I consider myself lucky though.  I've worked with great people and publishers and came up with some great authors who I call friends.  It was incredibly smooth sailing for a while there, but I guess like all authors sometimes shit just blows up and then you have to pull yourself together and get back on the horse).

I've recently found the inspiration to write again and bring the horror back into my words, including extreme horror.  But instead of taking time away from my family, I will simply watch less tv and stay up later to get the writing done.

So there are ups and downs in a writer's life and I went through a long stretch and I was worried I wouldn't get back into it, but alas I have.  I wrote my first short story when I was in kindergarten so I should have figured once a writer always a writer.  But it's scary when you spend so much time writing and getting books published and then it seems like its all over.  (Especially when publishers go under that you did well with).

I know this post has two completely different topics, but fuck it, it's my guest post!  Hopefully, you've enjoyed it and learned a little more about me.   

Frank here - Thanks for taking the time to put together the guest post.  I, for one, am excited to see you writing again.  Look for my review of Episodes of Violence on Saturday.  Just a suggestion, David.  Don't EVER let your baby girl read this one.  E-V-E-R!!!

Review: Spungunion - by John Boden

4 of 5 Stars     Review copy

Spungunion: (pronounced: Spun-Gun-Yun) noun; 1.) a dish made from rotting road kill, usually a skunk or a opossum. The more fragrant or maggoty, the better. 2.) Something that's been on the road for a long and unfortunate time...

It's also the story of a long-haul trucker, the love of his life taken in a fit of violence, and his personal road to redemption.

Deke Larch is a road dog.  John Boden tells his story with panache and gusto.  Set in a world of rednecks.  When Deke returns from an overnight run to find his wife, Lucille, dead in the bed of their trailer, he begins a strange quest to learn the truth.  Even questioning his own guilt or innocence in the process.

I loved the story of how Deke and Lucille met in the diner and it was truly love at first sight.  Yes, it does actually happen sometimes.

Their love was powerful and you can feel the weight of Deke's grief in the way Boden describes the character's loss. 

At times the prose in this book is downright poetic...

"Deke sat in the truck and gazed out at the cemetery.  His pap had always called them 'bone gardens.'  The morning mist rose in finger curls from the crisp grass.  The leaves were starting to change on the trees and a few early suicides littered the ground."

Then there are the clever head-nods to other popular horror writers. A joy for constant readers, like myself and you, if you read these reviews.

"Yardley, Lutzke and Janz were like department store mannequins."  Then there's Sheriff MacLeod, another author reference, for sure.

Spungunion is currently available here and is well worth your time... http://dynatox.storenvy.com/products/20076764-spungunion-by-john-boden

From the author's bio.  John Boden lives a stone's throw from Three Mile Island with his wonderful wife and sons.  A baker by day, he spends his off time writing or watching M*A*S*H re-runs.  He likes Diet Pepsi, cheeseburgers, heavy metal and sports ferocious sideburns.  While his output as a writer is fairly sporadic, it has a bit of a reputation for being unique.

Review: Broken Shells: A Subterranean Horror Novella - by Michael Patrick Hicks

4 of 5 Stars     Review copy

"Jon Dangle is a keeper of secrets, many of which are buried deep below his dealership."

Antoine DeWitt is having a bad day, and it's about to get much worse.  Good jobs are hard to come by, particularly when you've only been out of prison for a couple of years.  But when your redneck boss is singing the praises of President Trump and denigrating the prior President with racial slurs, well there's only so much a man can take.

Newly unemployed, with a wife and infant child, Antoine is pressured into responding to a "Money Carlo" mailer from a car dealership which seems to indicate he's a $5,000 cash prize winner.  I'm sure you've seen the likes of these contests, where it looks like you've won a significant prize.  A big screen TV maybe or even a cash award.  There have been times when my wife and I read all the fine print and were convinced we were big winners, but even then we stayed away because it's like they say, "If it's too good to be true..."  After reading Broken Shells, I'm pretty sure Antoine wishes he would have stayed away, too.

"The pain was immediate as his ear was ripped away from his skull, blood sheeting down his neck and leaking into the gap between his body and the shell that held him in place."

Bugs are creepy, but giant bugs...

I don't think I've given too much away, after all, the title reveals quite a bit Broken Shells: A Subterranean Horror Novella.

Michael Patrick Hicks has combined a common sales technique with a number of Native American legends and given it all a dark and nasty twist in a novella I won't soon forget, mostly thanks to the nightmares I've already had.

Recommended.

Broken Shells: A Subterranean Horror Novella is now available for pre-order from High Fever Books.

From the author's bio - Michael Patrick Hicks is the author of a number of speculative fiction titles. His debut novel, Convergence, was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2013 Quarter-Finalist. Prior to Broken Shells, his most recent work was the horror novel, Mass Hysteria.

He has written for the Audiobook Reviewer and Graphic Novel Reporter websites, in addition to working as a freelance journalist and news photographer.

In between compulsively buying books and adding titles that he does not have time for to his Netflix queue, he is hard at work on his next story.