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.  

The Ferryman

by Justin Cronin

Published by Ballantine Books

May 2, 2023 | 560 Pages | ISBN-13: 9780525619475

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

Hang On Tight and Try To Keep Up

I went into this one completely clueless other than knowing I was in for some kind of ride.

More than a romp, this road trip book is crazy. You'll find more twists, turns, and surprises in this story than you would if you made it to the last call in a dozen of the South's most insane dive bars listening to THAT guy tell the most unbelievable stories you have ever heard. Like much of Lansdale's work, this one is hard to pigeonhole. JANE GOES NORTH is a buddy story/road trip of two women who really don't like each other. It's a little comedy and a little crime painted with a broad brush of violent, Southern Gothic. One bit of advice to take with you after reading this one—if you are driving through any tiny, hole-in-the-wall, backwater Southern towns make sure you have a full tank of gas and you do NOT stop at the Save-Mart for anything.

I listened to the audiobook. Kasey Lansdale's reading of Jane Goes North adds an extra layer of Lansdale goodness. I'd suggest you give it a listen, even if you have already read it.

The image above is the cover from the Subterranean Press release, but I have to include the paperback cover version of this from Pandi Press. It features a vintage Thunderbird. It is not the car from the story, but for those who have known me for a long time, I used to have one of these beauties. My father bought it off the showroom floor. The family took it West for an epic road trip of our own back in 1969. It was my mom and dad, my sister, Debbie, and our dog, Peanuts, all jammed into the T-Bird and hauling a 13-foot Shasta camper. Florida to California and back. We were packed so tight we couldn't put the top down. My father gave it to me not long before he died. I had it up until a few years ago. It was getting too expensive to maintain. I sure did hate to part with it. 

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On a side note, since I mentioned Kasey Lansdale. I had the pleasure of working with her a while back on one of my own stories, TALL TALES 'N' TREMBLIN.' It is a short story that came out of some character development and research that I was noodling on for the novel that I have been working on for years. The good news is that I am finally on the editing stage, so I hope to be ready to query agents before year's end. My story was originally published as part of the weekly Kaidankai: Ghost and Supernatural Stories podcast. I had heard Kasey read DEAD MAN'S CURVE, a story she and her father co-wrote for the anthology, NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD. We I got word that my story was going to be read, I thought I'd reach out to Kasey and see if she would be interested. I couldn't believe she was available. Thanks again Kasey!

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.

REVIEW: Children of Chicago

CHILDREN OF CHICAGO is a caffeine-fueled story that is a melting pot of crime, horror, and myth, like the city itself. It is ever-changing—always building upon itself, but has it really? Something about this case is different from the start but, for Homicide Detective Medina, something all too familiar is gnawing at her. She is a wounded animal suffering tragic loss, and while the scabs may have hardened, have they have left scar tissue, and the wounds are still there. And the children are dying. 

This is a well-crafted story drenched in history and lore. Don’t expect Hollywood- or even a New York-ending. This is Chicago, and it has its own history. Has Cynthia Pelayo created a new Slenderman? Time will tell, but if it is anything like the story she has crafted, I certainly hope not. This is the first of what I know will be many great reads from this author for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Polis Books for allowing me an early lead of this e-ARC. If it isn’t already on your TBR pile, it should be. And if it already is, you should move it to the top. It would make a great read to kick off the 12th annual Women in Horror Month. It is out in early February 2021.

My Favorite Reads of the Last Year

I started 2020 by finishing off Mallory O’Meara’s Lady from the Black Lagoon. I don’t often read non-fiction, but this one caught my attention. The book is part biography and part memoir. One shouldn’t expect a tell-all biography of Millicent Patrick. Part of this tale is the writer’s own journey. I have always held a particular fondness for the Creature. Perhaps, that is because they filmed part of the second film, Revenge of the Creature, in my hometown. A couple of my other favorite pieces of old Florida, Wakulla Springs, and Silver Springs were used as sets for the original. O’Meara tells the tale of one of Hollywood’s often over-looked legends, Milicent Patrick. She was the Creature’s actual designer, and like so many other stories from our lives, her work was claimed by a man as his own. This book sets the record straight and does Ms. Patrick some justice. It is an excellent read for anyone who loves classic horror films, Hollywood, and digging into the murky waters of someone’s past.

I finished off Don Winslow’s The Cartel Trilogy. I read The Power of the Dog (2005) the year before and thoroughly enjoyed it. While the follow-ups, The Cartel (2015) and The Border (2019), were written more than ten years later, they seamlessly fit together. The series has great characters, a lot of violence, and wonderful cinematic quality—fitting since the FX Network now has the trilogy in development. There is still time to read these before the series airs as there is no date for production. Fingers crossed on this one as Ridley Scott is also attached. I will certainly be reading more of Winslow’s work. I love short stories, so I think I’ll dig into Broken next. I wonder, though, if I should read Savages and The Kings of Cool first? Any recommendations?

Rounding out my favorite non-horror read of the year is Jonathan Maberry’s Rage. It is the first of the second Joe Ledger series, Rogue Team International, and what a thrill ride! This action/military thriller has it all—terror, terrorism, horror, guns, blood, science, tech, and so much more. And none of it feels forced. Maberry’s skillful storytelling makes it so you could jump in here without having read the first series. However, I’d still recommend starting at the beginning—way back at the first book, Patient Zero (2009) because I would not want to miss one minute of the adventures of anyone in Ledger’s breakneck life. I am still digging through the anthologies for the many short stories that Maberry has shared. If action/military thrillers aren’t your thing and horror is, I also FINALLY got around to reading Ghost Road Blues. This one was pure horror, with a nice dose of small-town quirkiness to give this the feeling of an old story told at a campfire’s edge in the middle of nowhere.

I read a lot of new-to-me writers this year. The Only Good Indians by Steven Graham Jones was probably my favorite read. That’s the book I would name if some vengeance-wracked elk-headed woman were after me. I read Mongrels first because it is all about werewolves, and I have this idea for a story. And I am currently reading Night of the Mannequins. What a twisted and very different story that one is. This guy is a prolific writer, like a few others I’m reading. I’m talking about you, Jonathan Maberry. It’s almost too much for a slow reader like me to digest.

The ‘Rona hit at the end of the first quarter. We started wearing masks and social distancing, so I thought it only fitting to do a little distancing myself with Toni Adeyemi’s Children of Blood and Bone. It was a magical fantasy that transported me away for a little while. The audiobook was magic. 

I made a conscious effort to read horror, and other books, by women this year. I could and will do better in 2021. I read The View From Flyover Country. Sarah Kendzior gives us a look at how we ended up in 2020 from a political and social standpoint. We still have so much to do for equality in this country. I’m always up for something from Zora Neal Hurston. She was one of this country’s greatest treasures, so when a new or new to me book by her is published, I’m all in. Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick is a newly packaged telling of eight of her short stories. Wickedly funny and socially poignant. I got a little scifi fix from Charlie Jane Anders’s The City in the Middle of the Night—imaginative, inventive, and great characters. And I finally did make it back around to Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Left Hand of Darkness. I know. I know. What took me so long? I enjoyed it and was glad I finally got to it, but I hate to admit that it didn’t transport me to another world. The other slap to the wrist that I so rightfully deserve is for reading Octavia E Butler’s Kindred. That one did move me—right back to the days of slavery. It left me a bit hollow and wanting more. I will be picking up more of her work. 

So, where are the tales of terror? Well, I did get my hands on two of Paul Tremblay’s masterful books, Disappearance At Devil Rock and the short story compilation Growing Things and Other Stories. I wanted to read Survivor Song, but my TBR pile was so large this year. I will read it in 2021, as well as anything else the man chooses to write. I also managed to get in both of Josh Malerman’s Bird Box books. Malorie was a nice addition, although her kids… I’ll chalk that up to teenagers being teenagers. Another writer that I spent time with more than once this past year was Chuck Wendig. Wanderers might not have been the one to read during a pandemic, but I did and do not regret it. I also read his book on writing, Damn Fine Story. This one should be on every writer’s reading list. I did get one of Stephen King’s books in this year—Revival. It is a nice addition to his kingdom of horror, but like Wanderers, maybe a little too realistic in light of the times. I’ll be reading The Outsider this year. I’m looking forward to reading that one as well as watching the series simultaneously on HBO as I did with 11/22/63 and found it quite enjoyable. I had heard so much about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. It was entertaining with well-crafted characters and setting but a bit of a letdown considering all the hype. I would have liked less set up and more gloomy horror. Laurel Hightower delivered the goods with Crossroads. It had the very creepy Pet Semetary vibe. How far would you go to bring back one of your children from the dead? 

I have been in the process of writing my own Southern gothic horror tale for far longer than I had hoped but am making good progress. I’m revising much of it with the help of a writing coach. That was why I jumped off the horror ride and dove into a few classics in the genre. I read Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying. Is it wrong of me to say that I wished that I lay dying myself on many occasions while reading this one? I liked his others much better. For a more sordid tale, I treated myself to Cormac McCarthy’s Child of God. I love this man’s style and way with words. Let’s just say that I was delighted to see Lester Ballard get what Lester Ballard got. It is said that a good Southern gothic has grotesques. This dark tale had that and more. Before I returned to horror land, I took a spin with S.A. Cosby. Blacktop Wasteland is one worthy addition to anyone’s shelf of crime novels. The characters were frustratingly good; the action was adrenaline-inducing.

I finished up the year with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires. I would have liked to give this one five stars and would have if it had been a story without ANY men. The women in this tale were marvelous. The horror was chilling. I will read Grady Hendryx again as I have Horrorstör sitting on my bedside table. I am still reading two books that I started in 2020. I already mentioned Night of the Mannequins. The other is The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I plan to kick off the year with The Hollow Places, adhering to the #LadiesFirst meme. Perhaps I am feeling a little hollowed out after the last four years.

I’ll follow this post up with some of the novels that I am most looking forward to reading in 2021.