Fungi - Edited by Orrin Grey and Silvia Moreno-Garcia

3 of 5 Stars         Review copy

Fungi is a new anthology from Innsmouth Press edited by Orrin Grey and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.  First let me compliment the brilliant cover art from Oliver Wetter.  He does a very nice job of capturing the spirit of what lies between the covers of this anthology.

As I read the 27 stories in this collection I found my response to be as varied as the stories themselves.  There were some I loved, some I was lukewarm about and others that I just didn't care for at all.

The anthology starts with "Hyphae" a tale from John Langan.  One of the better stories in Fungi. 

After that the stories get more and more out there, including a land of mushrooms, a tale where every character is named for a type of mushroom.  There's a fungus western, pychedelic mushrooms.  Some of the stories are truly Lovecraftian and then there are stories that just have a fungi theme.  There a few familiar names in this anthology and plenty of relative newcomers.

One of my favorite stories is written by Molly Tanzer and Jesse Bullington.  "Tubby McMungus, Fat from Fungus', a wonderful, fairy-tale type of story involving cats, rats and of course fungus.  There's also the delightful ""Wild Mushrooms" from Jane Herenstein and the clever "Letters To a Fungus" by Polenth Blake.  Nick Mamatas makes an appearance with a compelling story of revenge, titled 'The Shaft Through the Middle of It." 

When I read an anthonology, I certainly don't anticipate loving every story, but it would be nice to enjoy more than a handful.  Thus 3 of 5 Stars.  This means I'm glad I read it, but I'm just not crazy about it.

If it sounds interesting to you, read it by all means.  The paperback ($15) and e-book ($8) editions of Fungi are identical. However, Fungi is also be available as a hardcover ($28.00, available only via Innsmouth Free Press ) with three extra stories not included in the paperback and ten black-and-white illustrations by Bernie Gonzalez.

More Than Midnight - By Brian James Freeman - 5 shorts from a master of horror

4 of 5 Stars   Advance Uncorrected Proof

Brian James Freeman is the Managing Editor of Cemetery Dance magazine and publisher of Lonely Road Books where he has produced some very nice limited editions over the years, including a beautiful print edition of Stephen King's Riding the Bullet.  In addition to his work as an editor and publisher, Freeman is also an accomplished writer.  His most recent novel, The Painted Darkness, has been called a hauntingly beautiful tale exploring the thin line between fantasy and reality.

The 5 stories in Brian's new collection have appeared elsewhere over the years and I had already read a couple of them, but if you're new to Brian Freeman or are just looking for a few good stories, you could do much worse than More Than Midnight.

First up is What They left Behind.  Scott's father has bought an abandoned property with a factory, warehouse and office building.  While moving into the warehouse during a big storm, Scott and George head to the basement of the office building to see if they can get the generator working in case of a power outage.

Brian does a great job in building tension and in getting my heart racing when the lights do go out and the two are stuck in the basement and they are not alone...the past is there with them.

My favorite story in this collection is The Final Lesson.  It's been two years since Ronald Hammerstein's wife was murdered outside the Stop-N-Go.  The killers were never caught. 

Another thing I like about Brian's stories is the way he can deliver the horror without telling you all the gory details.  He has the skill to paint a picture with his words and leave rest to your imagination and for me it's just as effective, if not more so.

The story, Among Us, is a bit out there, but a lot of fun and I thought Glenn Chadbourne's illustration for this one was dead on.

Pulled Into Darkness is one of those stories that leaves you wondering if what you read was the truth or the ramblings of a deranged mind.

The last entry was Answering The Call.  I found this to be just as disturbing as it was when I first read it in Borderlands 5, nearly a decade ago.

In all, a nice collection.  And you really can't go wrong with a few stories from Brian James Freeman.  Currently available only as a signed limited-edition hardcover from Cemetery Dance.  To learn more, click here.

Darklandia - By T.S. Welti - A dystopian thriller

4 of 5 Stars    Free copy from LibraryThing.com

Darklandia is the first book I've read from YA author T.S. Welti.  I don't expect it to the the last.  If I had to catagorize the work, I might say a dystopian/thriller with one hell of a twist.

Set about 130+ years in the future, the old United States is no more.  After the Civil War of 2072 the government finally defeated the rebels by uniting with Canadian and Central American forces to form the nation of Atraxia.

The story follows seventeen-year-old Sera Fisk who stops drinking the water rations and is soon recruited by Nyx into a rebel organization planning a full-scale attack on Darklandia, a vitual reality program which, along with those drugged water rations has transformed metropolises all over the country into happy, obedient communities.

As you can tell from the above synopsis, there is a lot to learn about the future and the author did an exceptional job of giving just enough information to keep the story moving without leaving the reader feeling overwhelmed with information.

There were a few things I was having difficulty understanding as the story was developing, but even those were answered in an ending that I never saw coming, but was completely satisfied with.

Overall, I found Darklandia to be an enjoyable read and something I can recommend to anyone who enjoys a good, well told story.  Visit the author's website at http://tswelti.com/.  The book is available now, both in paperback and e-book formats from Amazon.com.

Tool Shed - By Armand Rosamilia - A novella

3 of 5 Stars    Review Copy

When I was asked to read and review Armand Rosamilia's new novella, Tool Shed, I jumped at the chance.  I've really enjoyed some of the other new releases from Angelic Knight Press.  Tim Marquitz's anthology Fading Light: An Anthology of  the Monstrous was the best anthology I've read this year and I'm also a fan of Bryan Hall's books in the Southern Hauntings Saga.

Tool Shed, however, did not deliver for me.  I loved the opening line, "The cows had exploded."  It made want to dig right in and find out what that was all about.

What we learn, is that Michael Zaun has inherited his grandfather's farm following a series of grisly killings now known as the Tool Shed murders.  Despite the property's history a number of local teens have taken to hanging out in the Tool Shed, smoking weed and such.  It's not long before the killings begin again.

There was a lot I liked about this story.  There are nice relationships between Michael, his best friend Larry, Becky and her daughter, Susan.  They make a strong foursome.  But there was something missing.  I think it was the evildoer.  The reader is asked to accept quite a bit at face value.  There is very little background on this character and it has some unique abilities that are given very little explanation.  Sometimes not knowing works OK, but for me, in this story, it just felt a bit off.

Three stars means I liked the story, but it wasn't something I'd recommend to a friend and certainly not what I would call a favorite.  Keep in mind, your experience may be different.  If you'd like to read Tool Shed, it's available now, for the Kindle, at Amazon.com.

Guest Blog with writer Armand Rosamilia - Promoting his new release Tool Shed - Available now

Today, I'm making my first foray into the world of guest blogs.  My first victim...er, guest is Armand Rosamilia a New Jersey boy currently living in sunny Florida, where he eats too much, drinks too much, and doesn't worry about the impending zombie apocalypse. And it is coming. He is the author of many, many stories and novellas (which are all awesome… seriously!), and his Dying Days zombie series is pretty cool, too. He loves talking to fans and friends about horror, zombies, Boston Red Sox and Heavy Metal music. Feel free to e-mail him at armandrosamilia@gmail.com or visit his blog at http://armandrosamilia.com. He also loves speaking in third person.


His new novella is Tool Shed...

When Michael Zaun takes possession of his late grandfather’s farm, he finds out he inherited more than he bargained for. Dubbed the “Tool Shed Murders,” the details of the deaths of two girls on the property, and his grandfather’s, seemingly by his own hand, are a little murky. Was his grandfather a monster or a hero?

The discovery of his grandfather’s journal awakens within him a new confidence. But what about the demon his grandfather mentioned? Is it real or just the ranting of a diseased mind?

 With the help of his friends, old and new, Michael will find not only the answer to that question, but a new strength within himself.

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Let me say this before I get to the interview.  I firmly believe a great opening line can help get any story off to a good start and I just loved the opener for Tool Shed.  "The cows had exploded."  Four words and I'm hooked.  I just have to know more.

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Now a few questions for Armand.

1. What was the inspiration for Tool Shed?

The initial idea for the story began many years ago, when I was buying every Leisure Books paperback I could get my hands on. I loved the stories that Don was editing, and they were all classic horror tales. I wanted to someday write a 'traditional' horror tale, with a monster or demonic entity harassing our hero. I originally thought it from the grandfather's POV, with the murders happening on the farm. Then I put it away and began writing a dozen other stories. But while reading The Rising, or one of Brian Keene's zombie books, I came across a point where he talks about dead cows in the field. The line 'The cows had exploded' came to me, and I immediately thought of my Tool Shed idea. I rearranged the story a bit and began writing.

2. What other books in the genre would you compare it too?

I'd love to think my story holds a candle to classic Leisure Books work from John Everson, Keene, Douglas Clegg, and Simon Wood. But those books are amazing, and the period when Dorchester was firing on all cylinders is still my favorite books to read and re-read. I started writing it with them in mind, to be honest. Then, when it all fell down and burned, I decided to find another publisher that I wanted to be associated with. That was Angelic Knight Press. I was lucky because they obviously loved it enough to publish it, and I didn't have it sitting at half a dozen publishers, trying to get sold.


3. Is it a series? Will we get to revisit the characters?

Kind of. There is a longer novel I've written called Chelsea Avenue, 'starring' the elementals as well but set in Long Branch New Jersey beginning in 1987. I'm doing edits on the story and hope to get it ready to make the rounds as well very soon. It's another story that is many years in the making, and another more traditional horror tale.


4. What made you step away from the zombies that populate some of your other writing?

I never set out to be known as a zombie author. I wanted to write horror stories, period. When I wrote Highway To Hell it was only my second zombie story, after the flash fiction piece "Anything But Luck" starring Darlene Bobich (who has been my main character in all the Dying Days zombie stories) and I thought I wouldn't be writing too many more. Wow, was I wrong. The zombie stories struck a chord with readers, and I still find myself adding more and more to the Dying Days universe. But I still write horror stories, and just released a print horror short story collection, Skulls And Bones, that contains nine stories and none of them are zombies. I swear.


5. The main character, Michael, is a large man. No chiseled abs or buff physique there. And yet, he's basically the hero. Why write him that way?

I'm a big guy, pushing 300 lbs. I can relate to the character and his physical limitations, although I'd like to think I'm in better shape than Michael. I didn't want a Vin Diesel He-man in the story. I wanted a group of normal people, and even his best friend is more geek than anything. Characters that are relatable to a reader, instead of buff male strippers hanging out with super-hot chicks. I only do that in my real life.

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My thanks to Armand Rosamilia for the interview.  I'm reading Tool Shed right now and expect to post a review buy the end of the week.  If you want to get your copy now, it's out today, from Angelic Knight Press and is available here.

The Thirteenth Child - by David Dean - Keeps you guessing right up to the end

5 of 5 Stars    Review copy

Someone or something is abducting childen in Wessex Township, NJ.  Caught in the middle is Preston Howard, the town drunk and father of Fanny who works in the community as a librarian.

Howard has seen the children and he's also seen something else, something that, given his proclivity for alcohol, no one is likely to believe.

To complicate matters even more, Fanny has just become involved in a relationship with the town's Sheriff, Nicholas Catesby. 

David Dean does a superb job of balancing the facts with supposition in the case of the missing children.  Is the creature real or is near-constant inebriation causing Howard to do the unspeakable and concoct an unbelievable tale to keep himself out of jail?

BTW,  living in Southeastern PA, I loved the reveal on the title.  I actually never knew that before.

The author has done a very good job of creating characters that are complete in all of their idiosyncrasies and are convincing in their individual roles.  He also does an excellent job of building tension.  The story starts out with a wonderfully creepy vibe and backs off just a bit, but manages to build tension throughout and keeps you guessing until the final scenes.  The novel is complete, with no loose ends, but there is a bit of an opening for a sequel, should the author decide to go there.

All in all a great read, which I highly recommend.  Available now from Genius Book Publishing in both Paperback and a variety of e-book formats.

I'm Not Sam - by Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee - Morally challenging novella

5 of 5 Stars

Patrick and Sam have been married for 8 years.  He makes his living drawing graphic novels and she is a forensic pathologist.

There is still much love after 8 years together.  It shows well in the love-making scenes, handled skillfully by the writers.  I'd say the scenes are titillating, without being vulgar.

Everything in the story is going swimmingly, but after another night of passion, things change fast and oh so, not for the better.  When they wake up, Sam is no longer herself.  After a visit to the Doc, Patrick learns his wife believes she's a child.  A child of about 5 or 6.

The circumstances are intriguing and the situation calls for restraint.  After all, she still has Sam's body and she's still Patrick's wife. 

I found I'm Not Sam to be a totally enjoyable page turner, start to finish.  And when you get to the end, there's more.  That "more" will turn everything upside down.  When all is said and done, I'm still tossing the moral implications around in my mind.

The idea for I'm Not Sam started as a short story that Jack Ketchum and Lucky Mckee wanted to work into a film, but apparently this story had a mind of its own.  As a result, it winds up as the written word, a novella that Ketchum and McKee have decided to use as a launching pad for another story which they hope to make into a film.  Time will tell.

I'm Not Sam is available in a wide variety of formats from a number of sources.  Probably best just to google the title and authors.