FORGOTTEN SISTERS is another solid read from Cynthia Pelayo. Eerie and atmospheric, it is part haunted house/ghost story, and part noir detective/history lesson. At times, early on, I felt caught in a loop with the storyline, which, to me, felt repetitive. That may have been on me as I only spent short clips with the story. The author created a great sense of place and space in the telling of FORGOTTEN SISTERS. The sisters, Anna and Jennie, have their mysteries and their quirks. Their dynamic is a sad one of family responsibility and multi-layered heartache. The two detectives were a special treat—infrequent as their POV was, but the story was not really theirs. That said, I wanted more of them. I’m probably a weirdo, but I think my favorite part was the history of Chicago and its river. There are loads of breadcrumbs hidden in this book that could be easily overlooked, and yet, that ending!
MOCANDO…
The rambling thoughts of an author including art, rants, words, book reviews, not-so-subtle suggestions, and more…
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Not Forgotten
Wednesday, March 13, 2024
Almost a perfect ending
For me, this one started off a bit rocky. There was so much going on—so much death and destruction. And it all seemed like it was just another day. I suppose, in light of all that has happened in Proofrock, that could be forgiven. All for all that, SJG’s writing is as sharp as a strait razor. And his knowledge of slashers, and other horror, is downright sick.
“Nightfall’s always closer than you think.”
Poor Jade. This tale is packed with so much trauma—both real and supernatural—that things almost started to feel like one of THOSE old horror flicks where ALL the various monsters are jammed into one movie. Unlike those particular movies, Jade’s story is not played for laughs. Jones uses just enough humor in Jade’s story to give you a respite from everything he throws at you. The story is raw and relentless and it will ravage you.
I wish this old brain that lives in my head were so old and addled. I had a hard time remembering all of the everything Jones packed into these three books. No one will ever or could ever write such a bloody lover’s story to the ‘Last Girl.’ I grew up in the 1970s and 80s. At that time I was like a lot of boys my age—obsessed with the slasher. I religiously sequestered myself in those dark places and watched all the senseless slaughter with terror and delight. I was an eager participant, but somewhere along the way I lost my taste for that kind of blood. So I never got to finish any of Jason’s tales. Or Michael Myers’s or Freddy’s. Or of the gruesome Texas family that spawned Leatherface. So, I missed much of the love Jones showered on the genre. It seems he referenced EVERY slasher know, and then some. But I’m sure he missed a few. He had to. People can’t be that perfect.
That said, this being the final installment of The Indian Lake Trilogy, we get the LAST? of Jade Daniels. We also get Letha’s story, although not in the same way we did in DON’T FEAR THE REAPER, the second book of the trilogy. Jones ties up enough of the story threads so masterfully that I ended up hating to turn the last few pages. I did not want the story to end. And when you get to the last page, don’t skip the acknowledgments. They reveal much of what the author went through as he took us all on this bloody trip to Proofrock.
The good news is that I am certain that Stephen Graham Jones will deliver something else as only he can tell it.
Monday, January 29, 2024
Rotten Fruit makes for a Wickedly Delicious Story
What happens when you take a writer who is obsessed by apples? You get a story that twists and turns like the roots of an old, wild apple tree. Engaging, horrific, and dare I say original? This one is packed with all the things that make a horror story great. Creepy, atmospheric setting? Check. Eye-popping gruesome visuals? Check. Suspense? Fear? The unknown? Oh, yes! Death? Multiples. The characters are rich and engaging. And if you like a folk and historic element, it has that, too. It almost sounds like too much, but Wendig masterfully weaves it all together.
If I had to come up with a criticism, I’d say the horrific part of the tale started a little late for me, but it takes time for the seeds to germinate and grow. One other note. I listened to the audiobook and was happy that I listened all the way through all the end stuff. There I learned more about the author’s obsession with the fruit. I’ll certainly be keeping a watchful eye out for heirloom apples.
Monday, January 15, 2024
Sunday, January 14, 2024
Sunday, July 02, 2023
The Ferryman
I was about 10% into this story before I really got interested, but don't let that scare you off. The setting, Prospéra, was different in many ways from our own world but not enough to pique my interest. At first. It teased me and dangled its originality in my peripheral, and then it came. What a payoff. I won’t say where that occurred. I’ll leave this story to you to take in. Suffice to say, this story comes from the same writer who gave us, The Passage, which was a brilliant take on the end of the world as we know it. A dystopian nightmare populated with the survivors of a scientific catastrophe that almost ended the world. And vampires.
Cronin’s words and imagery in The Ferryman are rich and lush, as are his characters. The world is multi-layered and fraught with mystery. There is a lot to process as this tale slips and slides and pulls the rug out from under you just when you think you are ‘getting it’.
“You know what your problem is?”
“I’m guessing you’re about to tell me.”
“It’s the same problem most people have, actually. You know a lot of things. You believe almost nothing.”
And Cronin's character is right. Believing in something is difficult, especially in today's world probably because the ability to acquire knowledge is remarkably easy. Probably too easy. And I'm no different. I'm going to take the easy way out and wrap this up by saying if you liked Logan’s Run and 1984, you will be thrilled with this one. And, if not thrilled, certainly chilled.
Tuesday, June 20, 2023
What Have WE Become?
For so many years, this country has been a beacon of hope to the world. A promise that things can be better. Of course, we still have a legion of problems that need to be corrected. While individuals have the ability to achieve their American success story, whatever that may be, we still have institutional racism. The indigenous peoples in this country are still, for the most part, living in third-world conditions. Our education system is not the gold standard for the world and should be. Our infrastructure is crumbling. The three branches of our government that should provide checks-and-balances is rife with payola and graft. Our justice system is an ideological and political cesspool. The press, our last defense against all of this hate, selfishness, and political corruption, is itself corrupted by ideological hate and corporate interests. The deregulation of the telecommunications industry has allowed an unhealthy consolidation of media outlets, further putting what we want to believe as truth and facts into silos. Deregulation, in theory, creates competition among suppliers, but technological advances, the internet, and market conditions have created a homogeneous cesspool. We have too many spineless reporters who refuse to challenge those who twist the truth claiming their outright lies as fact. We are living in a world mired in gas lighting and doublespeak where so many reporters are either too lazy or too scared of the consequences . That said, we still have reporters who are doing the mostly thankless hours of digging and unearthing the actual terrible truths. We should, and must, give them the protections guaranteed by the Constitution, and the thanks for helping to hold our public servants and corporations in check.
We are better than this America. I am better than this.