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.

The Devil Takes You Home

Gabino Iglesias hasn’t released a novel since 2018’s Barrio noir, Coyote Songs. This August, this Bram Stoker, Anthony, and Locus award-nominated author will once again drag you through a horrific nightmare of grief, loss, and desperation. One thing you can count on when reading anything by Iglesias you are in for a weird, wild, and strangely violent ride. I found myself reading this book at odd times and in unusual places just to get in one more page. 

Be advised, he unapologetically sprinkles Spanish throughout the novel. It flows like the blood gushing through and out of this tortured tale of a man agonizing the loss of everything he loved—his daughter and wife, and what little life he managed to piece together in a country that dangles its promises in front of far too many—just out of reach. The Devil Takes You Home is as much a horror as it is a crime novel, but it is also a human story. It is a brutal account of a near-impossible heist. It starts with the horror of a happy family losing a child to cancer—a loss that should not have happened and wouldn’t have if life was fair. 

You don’t know horror until you’ve spent a few hours inside a hospital looking at the fitful sleep of a loved one who is being taken from you. You don’t know desperation until the uselessness of praying hits you.

Cancer is just the beginning. It gets darker. Much.

The protagonist, Mario, is a rich and complicated character. Along for the ride is his junky, friend Brian and a cartel man, Juanca. Mario is willing to go any length to hang onto what little piece of hope he can. As his story unravels, it begs the question, how bad can you be and still be good? How much can you witness? How much can you force yourself to do before you lose what makes you human?

Someone needs to give Iglesias duffel bags full of money so he can write full time and bleed more stories. Let him conjure up more “magic” to transport us to a dangerous world between worlds where magic, blood, and hope live. My hope is he won’t make us wait four more years for his next novel.

The release date for this one is August 2nd, 2022. That date coincidently is the release of Don’t Fear the Reaper. The sequel to Stephen Graham Jones's My Heart Is A Chainsaw. Pre-order both of them NOW from your favorite independent bookstore.

Thank you to the publisher, Mulholland Books, and NetGalley for the review copy. And an added thanks to Gabino Iglesias for keeping me up late and scaring the shit out of me. Again.

Woodland Wardens by Jessica Roux

Woodland Wardens is beautifully designed. While I don’t have any first-hand skill with oracle decks or Tarot cards, have always drawn me to the hidden mysteries of the nature of things. The author, Jessica Roux, pairs her words and illustrations and offers visions of magic as she pairs plants and animals. Her love and knowledge of the natural world harken back to the Victorian Age when the study of flora and fauna was itself an art form. 

One need not be a practitioner of the mystical or dark arts to benefit from the thoughtful reflection gained from the deck. It is “intended as a living tool for deepening your self-awareness, especially to nature.” The author encourages you to act as a warden throughout your day. She encourages you to be a steward and to guard the gifts bestowed upon us by the things and spirits found in nature. My one complaint is that the Guide is not in color. 

This guide is perfect for those experienced with oracle decks as well as the beginner. Roux walks you through various ways to put the deck to use. She also encourages you to discover your own path. The cards themselves offer some strange and unexpected pairings. Take Card 42, the Eel and the Iris. This card symbolizes SAFETY. My first thought is that neither offers a sense of safety, but when one considers the author’s words, it is much easier to see. The eel, being slippery, enables it to escape harm, while the iris is a medieval symbol of power and victory. One can see how stealth and power can ensure “safety in our homes, relationships, and work”.

Woodland Wardens pulls from a variety of belief systems—from the ancient Greek, Roman, and Norse to Maori and other indigenous beliefs and traditions. It even draws on the teachings of the Christian Bible. I can see the deck, along with the guide, being a thought-provoking tool to reflect on life and nature. 

This deck is magical, but it does not have all the answers. That said, Roux’s thoughtful words and rich illustrations should provide enough as a basis to start your journey.  

Well, I'll Be Damned!

This is just the beginning of Jonathan Maberry’s foray into epic dark fantasy. It started in the middle of an all-out invasion where things were happening fast. The Silver Empire was being overrun in the most unbelievable of ways. There is viciousness and brutality against pretty much anything that lives. The invasion itself was over in a flash of banefire, then the story slowed to a trickle or a few dozen mugs of wine and ale. Things can slow in epic fantasy because of world-building and character development. The story follows multiple storylines, along with more than a few flashbacks. But then? Then all the snares and webs and traps had been set, and the tale took off.

Kagen is our unlikely hero. Of course, he is the main character and should be the hero, but as the aftermath of the invasion sets in, it looks less and less likely that he has any hero left in him. He is haunted and, because of the circumstances at the beginning of this book, damned with no hope of salvation. I could have done with a little less of Kagen the Drunkard, but it reveals to what depths our hero has sunk. If that bothers you, don’t let it put you off. Stick with the story, it grows and twists and is full of rich characters, male and female alike. The Witch-King of Hakkia and his cronies make for some great villains. And there are the side stories with nuns, the undead, and the minions of Cthulhu. Those threads will keep you guessing right up to the end. This story has it all. Interesting, complicated, and mysterious characters? Epic battles and sharp cutty things? Check. Sorcery, enchantment, and creatures? Check. Thieving? Yup. Blood? Gore? Magic? Political intrigue? Check, check, check, and oh, yes! 

From the outset, we were told that Kagen the Damned is "the first installment of an exciting new series of dark epic fantasy," so don’t be disappointed when this tale ends on a maddening cliffhanger. It will leave you wanting more. I cannot wait for book two, Son of the Poison Rose! 

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Griffin for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

THE VIOLENCE by Delilah Dawson

When I had requested The Violence, I had no idea what to expect. I am familiar with the author, Delilah Dawson/Lila Bowen, and have read several other works. I enjoyed everything I read, so it is no surprise that I liked this book, but it is so very different than what I expected. So, what did I expect? Given the state of the world these days and her other books, I expected something more along the line of The Stand or the more recent stories like Survivor Song or The Wanderers. There is a virus, but unlike the aforementioned novels, the whole world hasn’t gone to hell and spiraled into a post-apocalyptic nightmare. 

There’s a passage in the book of a description of men who possess and abuse women. Damn! This book is powerful on so many levels. As I read it, I often thought of the pain relived by so many abused. The Violence proved to be a blessing and a curse. My hope is that the author and all those who have lived through abuse physical and/or mental, are able to escape and heal. Perhaps this book will be a start. 

The book is brilliant. It is expertly crafted. The characters—mostly women— are rich and multi-layered like the story itself. There are certainly horrific scenes in this book, but it is a human story—one of survival and redemption. It should be on everyone’s reading list. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Estate Sailin'

Over the weekend, my wife and I made the trek downstate to a couple of remarkable estate sales. One was in Ormond Beach and was the home of a former Washington D.C. bureaucrat who worked in the Finance sector. His wife was a model. The place was loaded with old invitations to D.C. events & parties. I picked up a few trinkets and some fun postcards. There was also a "Confidential Committee Print" of the EXAMINATION OF VICE PRESIDENT DESIGNATE NELSON A. ROCKEFELLER'S TAX RETURNS AND OTHER RECORDS. Tucked inside that was a typewritten sheet on the topic of "Men." It starts out "Men are what women marry. They have two feet, two hands, and sometimes two wives, but they never have more than one dollar and one idea at a time." I assume the sheet belonged to the same woman that owned the "Uppity Women Unite" button. Judging from the things in their home, they must have been a fun couple.

 

The second one was in Gainesville. It was the estate of Jack Clare Nichelson, an accomplished artist and long-time professor at the University of Florida. He passed away a number of years ago. The sale was the first of two. The house was a very cool mid-century modern designed home and was loaded with some of the things he collected over a lifetime. I ended up only purchasing the small wooden Madonna pictured. It is barely an inch-and-a-half tall and, while most likely just a tourist souvenir, the detail is remarkable for such a small piece. There were a number of pieces of tramp art that would have been nice, but I refrained.

Estate Sales are places of a duality of feelings. I love finding unique and strange things just as I love finding a hidden treasure, but there is also a great melancholy that often overcomes me. They are small snapshots of people's lives filled with things that made only them happy as they didn't seem to hold enough of the person to make those that they left behind treasure them as well. 

Sing For Me

Illustration: Michael O'Connell

When you dare read this book, you’ll have to decide if Malerman is preaching to you or if he is just telling you a wicked story that takes you from A to B. Is it a slasher? A fairy tale? A morality tale? He’ll leave you rooting around for a nice safe place to make up your own mind.. 

The story is as I imagine Pearl’s skin to be—either too hot and feverish or too cold and clammy. Either way, its coarse bristles prevent even a pleasant feeling from taking hold, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. It might just be my favorite horror of 2021. This grisly tale got inside my brain and has stayed with me. It’s a creepy and strange one about a pig on a Michigan farm who has a kind of telepathy. Pearl can get inside your brain and root around in your thoughts. He learns things while he is in there and then uses them in ways that will savage you. He makes you want to do things and convinces you it was your idea. As I said, Malerman packs a lot into this short book and he left me wanting more. 

If you let him, Malerman will take your imagination and carry it (you) into the barn and hang it from a hook. He will leave it (you) there dangling, waiting for a savior to release you before the damage is done. But he won’t allow that. Like Pearl, he casts a dark shadow where your fears live. Some of those fears might have been planted by Orwell years ago with Animal Farm. I suspect it was no coincidence that one of the farmers was also named Jones. But Pearl is not Napoleon, and he certainly is not Snowflake. Pearl is a new kind of horror and it will have you singing for him before the end of the story. And speaking of the end of the story, I am at a loss. Was that the end? Or was it what Pearl wanted us to think was the end? 

I don’t quite understand people getting triggered by bloodshed and violence toward animals—but not people. However, for those of you who are the former, this twisty little tale has buckets of blood and gore heaped upon the animals—and people, but that’s partly why you’ll be reading this novel, right?

I’d love to hear your thoughts, Occasional Reader.

Sing for me.

What are you willing to sacrifice?

To Offer Her Pleasure

by Ali Seay

Published by Weirdpunk Books.

ISBN-13: 9781951658175

150 pages

This is a very unusual coming-of-age story. Ben’s father died. His mother started dating a loser who becomes Ben’s tormentor. Surprise, surprise. And then, out of the blue, his mother deserts him. Now Ben must learn to deal with his predicament. He gets a little help. 

Here are a few thoughts without getting all spoilery. The writing is imaginative. The characters are, for the most part, strong in the sense that there is a nice mix and they seem to be possibly more real than the protagonist. Then there is the antlered woman on the cover. She is very creepy. We are given just enough information to set our minds reeling and always wanting just a little bit more.

There is a lot packed into this horror novella—family, sacrifice, teen angst, and the aforementioned coming of age. On the whole, this was a great read, but I did want a few things. I wanted to see some consequences. I wanted to know a bit more about the creepy woods where Ben and Mikey take their walks. And I wanted Ben to be a little more likable. In some places, you are cheering him on and in others you are left scratching your head thinking WTF, man. Ben is complicated. He is a loner, and he has been hurt and it is because he has been through so much that you can’t help rooting for him and wanting to know what’s next. 

This was not quite a five-star read for me, but it is close. It is creepy, atmospheric, and downright nasty in places. The author, Ali Seay, is relatively new to the horror scene. I expect that we will be hearing a lot more about her.