Abandoned by the Gods and fueled by rage

Jonathan Maberry is a magician. He is the author of over 60 books in a wide variety of genres. While his name is not as recognizable as Steven King, John Grisham, or Margaret Atwood, I can’t think of another author who has accomplished so much. I first stumbled upon the Maberry name online. Day after day, I found myself confronted by zombies. And as any human would do, I ran. But he persisted, and I finally was bitten. There was no better place for me to start than Patient Zero. The virus was hot and ran through me as quickly as I read through the entire ten novel arc of one of his most beloved characters, Joe Ledger. Think Jack Reacher meets The X-Files. I read or listened to most of them in my mother’s days in her battle with dementia. I spent many nights in the hospital in an uncomfortable chair in the dark, listening to Ray Porter bring Jonathan Maberry’s creations to life. The stories, while fast-paced and terrifying, distracted from the buzz of the fluorescent lights seeping in from the hallway and the beeping of the monitors and machines that were often the only things that confirmed that my mother was still here. Ten books, then done. As I age, the memories of my mother are sometimes difficult to hold on to, but she lives on. And so does Joe Ledger. The first ten-book run completed an arc, but Maberry is keeping him alive in a second series. The next, his third, is Cave 13, and will be out soon.

So, there you have it. The origin story of my literary relationship with Jonathan Maberry. Or, possibly a more apt description, my Bore-igin Story. This is a weird way to ease into a review of his latest novel, The Son of the Poison Rose. 

The Son of the Poison Rose is the second book of a proposed trilogy and continues the story of Kagen the Damned. Sword and sorcery is a new genre for Maberry—at least for the reader. Getting blurbed by Michael Moorcock should be a clue that he has long been a fan. I won’t go into the plot of the story. There are plenty of places you can find that. Maberry’s writing is rich and pointed, his characters colorful and unique, especially for a sword and sorcery tale. Kagen is a very damaged character who wields his daggers with skill and bloodlust, especially when dealing with those from the Silver Empire. The story itself is a boiling cauldron—part sword and sorcery, part cosmic horror. Maberry’s world-building is fresh and engaging. I’m hoping we get a little more of Vespia in the next book. The author barely touched the cannibal-infested rainforest. Then there are the Hollow Monks, a Razor Knight, the royal twins are coming along nicely. Or horribly. Whichever you prefer. They’re you and impressionable, but have a mind of their own. My bet is that we’ll see much more of them and be off to the frozen wastelands known as the Winterwilds as the third book, A Dragon in Winter, teases. Maberry has a lot of threads and stories all moving toward a blood-soaked conclusion. And Kagen has a score of scores to settle with the Witch-king. 

If the book has a weak link, it is in its pacing. While the plot and sub-plots were all engaging, there were a few times I found myself wanting the author to speed things up, but there were also times I wanted more, and that’s with almost 700 pages of story.

Reading Kagen the Damned, the first in the series, is not 100% required reading. Maberry weaves this tale so you can jump right in, but I recommend doing so as there is so much world-building. His next novel in the series is supposed to wrap things up, and on some level, I’m sure he will, but I have a feeling that we will be seeing a lot more from Kagen. 

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Griffin, and the author for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I’d encourage you to buy this book from your favorite indy bookseller or you could buy it from one of Jonathan Maberry’s favorite booksellers, Mysterious Galaxy, where you should be able to request an autographed edition. I have purchased a number of books from them. They are great people. Or buy from the big A. Whatever you do, buy the book. 

Shrooms!

Gah! This popped up in my "memories on Facebook" this morning. My front yard was full of these little mushrooms one morning last year. They mysteriously appeared overnight. And yesterday, I finished Ghosteaters, an audiobook by Clay McLeod Chapman. If you read you, you know. If you haven't gotten around to it yet, it is hitting a LOT of the end of the year best lists. BE WARNED, If drug use and addiction  trigger you, you should probably skip this one. 

This story is a good solid horror. At times, I'd give it six stars out of five, but there were other places in the book that I felt slowed down. It certainly was one of the more unique tales I have read this year. 

New from Fracassi

Philip Fracassi’s Gothic is a desperate tale of madness and suffering for aging horror author, Tyson Parks. He has lost his place at the top and is desperate to write anything. This leads him to succumb to the lure of possession and not-so-empty promises. It is the story of a writer who is both cursed and possessed, but it goes beyond whatever makes the arcane desk tick. There is more, some of which is only hinted at. One can’t help but think about Stephen King’s own tormented writer, Jack Torrance. And like that doomed writer, Tyson’s loved ones are also caught up in the madness. Fracassi puts his own twist on an evil object story. 

If you like weird horror with hints of an unseen cosmic ‘other’ that is too twisted to comprehend, this is a good read for you. I wanted more. I’m hoping that this tale from Fracassi gets to make the leap to film. I’d love to see and feel the tension.

The release date for this one is February 3, 2023. I recommend that you pre-order this one from Cemetery Dance. I have a feeling that this one could quickly go into a second printing.  

Gothic

by Philip Fracassi

Published by Cemetery Dance Publications

February 3, 2023 | 408 Pages | ISBN 9781587678400

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

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On a side note, if you like horror or are interested in what makes a horror writer tick, do check out Fracassi's podcast, The Dark Word. Season One guests include Laird Barron, Joe Lansdale, Paul Tremblay, Alma Katsu, S.A. Cosby, Stephen Graham Jones, Victor LaValle, and many more. Season Two is out now!

Snap!

I went into this story knowing nothing about JACKAL or its author. The story started a bit slow for me, but the pace intensified as the time ran out. In the end, I was hooked. This was Adams's debut novel. She filled her story with pain, frustration, fear, and rage—a flood of emotions. And they are all expected with a story about an abducted child—one of far too many. I also found the author’s voice to have an undeniable hope in the future. In better things. In a better life. “Nothing good comes from being hateful and hollow.” Words to live by in today’s divisive times.

Snap!

Amidst this pain and loss is a fierceness of determination to get to the truth. And the truth that her protagonist, Liz, is looking for should rip your heart out. The setting is the mostly-white, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, but this is an American story. It is one equal parts thriller and whodunit—splashed with horror. While some of that horror is of the paranormal/supernatural variety, be forewarned, much of it, sadly, is all too real. Violence. Racism. Child death. Body Horror. Domestic violence. Gore. Alcohol abuse. Eating disorder. Animal death. Kidnapping. Off-page rape. Off-page violence against children.

JACKAL, by Erin E. Adams
Published by Bantam | Oct 04, 2022
336 Pages | ISBN 978-0593499306

Thank you to #NetGalley, Bantam/Random House Publishing, and the author in exchange for my honest review. I am thrilled to have been able to get a sneak peek. I look forward to whatever is next from Erin E. Adams.

Daphne is a BAD Girl

Image from Josh Malerman's Facebook page.

DAPHNE (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) kicks off with a basketball shot. I couldn’t help but think back to 2020 and Stephen Graham Jones’s THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS—my favorite read of that plague-ridden year. This book description starts “It’s the last summer for Kit Lamb…” It would be the last summer for so many of the Samhattan basketball team. That alone might be enough to hook you. It got me started.

Basketball was one of the sports I tried in my adolescence (and failed at miserably). Malerman takes this popular game youth and turns it sinister by adding a second game to the mechanics of it called “Ask the Rim.” It is a childhood game, something the girls of summer league basketball play. It is something akin to asking the Ouija questions about life and what the future holds. We’ve all played similar games. Unfortunately for the newly crowned star of the summer league, Kit Lamb, this game, the question she asked, and the answer given by the Net become terrifyingly intertwined with the local urban legend of Daphne. 

This book hit all the right spots. And while I’m not a huge fan of slashers or the ‘final girl’ trope, this one was brilliant. Malerman is masterful in bringing all of these kids to life. The characters are real, their banter poignant, as far as high schoolers go. And through great storytelling, their reality will become your reality.

There are so many great lines in this book. This one, early on, was one of many that had me thinking. “Next is for whenever now needs a fucking change.” The release date for this book is in late August, but don’t wait. Preorder it. Don’t do it next. Do it now. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for this ARC of Daphne by Josh Malerman.