A Satan Carol

Reviewed by Author C.V. Hunt

3 out of 5

ABOUT:

Nostalgic for the Inquisition and plague, Satan feels neglected by the modern world that no longer cares about heresy or blames him for disease and death. He plans to create a new genesis, a place where people will love him. For that, his son needs just the right soul.

A Satan Carol is a horror story with a message for those who want to understand God’s apparent absence as the intersection of freewill and choice. It is a story with religious themes written for a secular reader. It is, in the end, a tale about family values even if they originate in hell.

REVIEW:

A Satan Carol desperately wanted to grab my attention. The description of the book had me hooked at the word horror, but I failed to find any gut twisting horror in the story. Granted, it is about Satan, and there are a few bloody or obscene sections, but I don’t think this really fell into the horror category. If I had to classify it anywhere it would be dark satire.

Satan, aka Mr. Green, is jaded by God’s love for another son, Jesus. And in a search to find happiness for himself, Satan has decided to start a family of his own. The Anti-Christ has been born on another planet named Shineland 7, but the boy is physically unable to move around on his own. Satan enlists the help of several people to obtain a “golden soul” to empower his son through their own free will actions. The emphasis seems to fall heavily on free will, but I think the concept is thrown out the window when you are threatened with horrible things if you don’t follow a certain path.

The author takes great care to describe the story in detail, but seems to fall flat on dialog. Characters speak out loud to themselves to mill over their own thoughts, and there seems to be some confusing formatting as two characters have a telepathic conversation. It almost feels like you’re reading the script for a play.

The story is well written and heavily laden with religious undertones, which I find engaging, as I’m always curious to read a new take on any religion, but it just didn’t seem to pull me into the horror of the situation.

A Satan Carol is dusted with the horror of everyday living as we get to know the characters: An obedient wife, a promiscuous husband, a defiant teen, greedy doctor, and a man who sees visions. Somehow they are all linked to obtaining the “golden soul” and slowly the lines are connected through the book. Overall, it’s definitely an acquired taste.

Reviewed by Author C.V. Hunt

5 out of 5

ABOUT:

Featuring fallen angels, demons, lycanthropes, monsters and a disembodied hand (or is it), Outside the Wire is a collection of six previously published short stories about things we don’t want to let in, all anthologized for your reading pleasure.

REVIEW:

Richard Farnsworth presents us with a collection of short stories in Outside The Wire. Two of these are just snippets of larger stories, Succumbing To Gravity (everyone who knows me, knows I will force you to read this book), and Gift Of The Bouda. Both of which show how well Farnsworth can write the internal struggle.

I found all of the other short stories just as engaging as Richard’s previous works. One story, B.E.K.s is about ??? The writer created some terrifying creatures. Who, or what, they are remain a mystery to the reader and the characters in the story. In other stories, it’s same with the mysterious creations. The Sacrifices Of Automated Tabulation a woman starts a new job, only to find out things are not what they seem.

The Long Road To Sanctum feels familiar. The rules and aspects of the story seem to coincide with the were-creatures of Gift Of The Bouda.

I absolutely love Farnsworth’s gift for writing the dilemma of the internal struggle, and he showcases the highlights of this in Dougies’s Hand. The story is about a young man with an uncontrolled hand, which reminded me of Idle Hands, or the fight Ash puts up in Evil Dead.

The last story of the collection, Virtual Huntress, brings the horrors of the very possible to light. I think I’ve already stated this a million times, but the real monsters are always the scariest.

Richard Farnsworth has proved yet again, whatever genre, or path he takes in his writing, he will always have my attention.

I really really wanted to like this book, and I was totally enthralled by the first half of it. I love a good mystery where the lead character is not a police investigator or FBI detective. Here, we have Elle Bramasol who is a true crime writer who is elicited by a big Hollywood director named Eliot Kingman to write his story after he ends up in prison for the murder of one of his researchers. Elle is given access to a centuries old document in Kingman’s possession which turns out to be the diary of a vampire named Verland. And it is Verland’s story that Kingman really wants Bramasol to tell.

Despite the “not so new” elements of this story, like I said, I was totally intrigued. It’s hard enough to try to reinvent a vampire story these days. Much of the book is the diary entries themselves, so while you are given a detailed perspective of Verland’s life, it had a real close feel to Seth Grahame-Smith’s “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” to me. Unfortunately, the diary is what killed it for me, no pun intended. I found myself caring less about Verland’s war time efforts in Germany and wanting to get back to Elle and Kingman and their real purpose.

For me, the book also brought back elements of a classic fav of mine – Thomas Harris’s The Silence of the Lambs where we have a somewhat fragile heroine playing quid pro quo with a pompous genius behind bars in order to learn about a dangerous killer on the loose. Unfortunately, by the time we actually meet Verland he just isn’t as dynamic as any reader will expect and hope him to be.

While Kingman is the human bringing up references to immortality because he longs to be a vampire, he is stagnant as a character being behind bars. The book is thrown off balance when the attention is given to Kingman’s research assistants instead who also have an odd obsession with death. By the end, Bramasol gets her story handed to her without really having to work for it, and in turn the reader is spoon fed a drama built around a vampire diary which turns out to be more developed than the story itself.

Reviewed by Author C.V. Hunt

5 out of 5!

ABOUT:

When there’s no more room in Hell, the dead will walk the earth.

Three days. Not much time. Lilith, Queen of the Whores, has three days. That’s all the Prophecy will give her. Three days to build an army. Three days to unleash Hell.

Three days. Not much time. Certainly not to become a hero. That’s what Dee thought. Before the zombies. Before the dying. And the rising.

Three days until the end of the world.

What he would give to get those three days back.

Z Strain. Book one of the Zee Series Trilogy. Full of all the gritty realism any hard-core zombie fan craves. You know what I mean. Violence served cold. Sex served hot.

And Zees. A whole army of ‘em!

Be warned. This book isn’t for the faint of heart or easily offended. Buckle up and hold on to your brain pans! Here come the Zees!

REVIEW:

When God created Hell, He made it a tad too small. Over time it got really crowded down there… really crowded. The ranks of the damned found a solution to control their population.

Cannibalism.

And so zombies were born, and they’ve patiently waited for a prophecy to be fulfilled. One where they will have a bigger home. Earth.

There are only three days to bridge the gap between hell and earth, and there is a heartless warrior who could save the world. Hell erupts on earth as a cold Watcher keeps his distance in the shadows, making sure all the rules are followed.

Dee, an ex-military man, now a paramedic, has been thrust into a role that makes no sense to him:

Would you believe your city was being overrun by legions of the walking dead? Dead that consumed the flesh of the living. Dead who later rose and joined the ranks of their murderers? You gotta admit, that’s pretty friggin’ fantastic.

The Grim Reaper, demons, a succubus, vampires, and zombies… what more could you ask for in a story of hell and terror?

Rutger Klamor does a fantastic job tying all of these evil creatures together in Z Strain. He provides the reader with some mind-boggling prose, and a sarcastic and demented humor I love. Blood, gore, and sex combine to open the gates of hell. Because when hell is full, the dead will walk the earth. This is the first book of a trilogy, and I’m definitely looking forward to more.

by Andy Gavin
Macherato
Copyright 2012
ISBN 978-1937945015
392 pages
$14.99 paperback
$2.99 Kindle

It is 1913 in Salem, Massachusetts, and teenager Sarah is having dark visions that turn out to be warning her of future events.  There are vampires being made, Egyptian gods that are very unhappy, a sorcerer who cannot be killed, and a warlock making deals.  Of course, at first, Sarah does not know any of this.  She thinks the visions are just her mind being overactive and playing tricks.  That is, until she discovers a boy’s mangled corpse, attends the funeral of the boy, and then sees the boy seemingly as alive as can be after being buried- and a Greek boy, Alex, who can explain it all.

The Darkening Dream is not your typical YA vampire story, as has become the standard fare of today.  There is no glittering and falling in love with a vampire who denies his true nature.  Instead, it is a story that maintains the standard lore of vampires, and foregoes romance for an ages old conspiracy that puts Sarah right in the middle of it all.  Her visions have led her to learning and understanding the world in a way she never would have thought possible, and Alex has lived it long enough to know what must be done.

Gavin has created a complex story that does not cater to the idea of vampires and demons being tortured souls who want nothing more than to break free from it all.  Instead, he gives us a story where such beings have no soul and are out to survive by destroying everything in their way.  It is not meant to comfort and pull on our heartstrings.  It is meant to terrify us and see something in every shadow; to make us really wonder if there are older and darker forces at work that we will never know.

In the end, the story has been woven in a masterful manner, and it is difficult to know who to trust.  It brings in the conflict of religions in a way that is not often done so subtle, yet complex.  The attention to Jewish mysticism, as well as that of Christianity, that was present throughout the book, served to create a certain amount of tension, as well as adding to the gothic atmosphere.  The importance of religion in the story also served to explain the characters’ motives in a way that would otherwise not be as meaningful.

Gavin has given us a dark and gothic story that maintains the complex storyline right until the very end.  It is intended for the YA audience, but brings to mind the feeling of the world created by Bram Stoker or Anne Rice, making the darkness almost palpable.  Although, at times, the description is a bit on the heavy side, the story never suffers because of it.  Rather, it is simply to create additional atmosphere throughout.  The ending may leave some saddened and disappointed, the fan of darker fiction will realize it could have ended no other way.  Gavin has left it open for a sequel that will surely carry on the fine balance of religion, mysticism, mythology, and the supernatural that is so finely crafted in The Darkening Dream.

Angela’s Coven is an interesting novel. It successfully manages to combine magic, mystery, devilry and philosophy, with humour, romance, witchery and hope! Reggie Sinclair, the British protagonist, is an ageing and jaded ex-Rock-Star from yesteryear, who suffered profound heartbreak at the loss of his true love, early on in his career.

Disillusioned, disconnected and very much alone in his luxurious New York penthouse, he only becomes more depressed by dwelling upon the nature of a pact he made in his youth – a pact in which he sold his soul to the Devil in return for his incredible success, fame and fortune. And as he knows only too well because of the recurring visits of the Devil’s emissary, the Devil is eagerly waiting to collect.

There is however, something more running beneath this odd but apparently simple plot construct. And that something brings Reggie into contact not only with a coven of modern-day witches, but also with a collection of Knights Templar, all of whom have abilities, knowledge and motivations which Reggie only slowly begins to uncover and understand.

Mr. Jenvey draws his characters fairly well, and we find ourselves happily accompanying the affable Reggie as he travels ever-deeper into a looking-glass land where maybe, just maybe, he might find the help he needs to be able to snatch his soul back from the Devil’s collection-plate! Indeed it transpires there is much more than Reggie’s soul at stake in the infernal battle between good and evil which is always underway in this world.

There are a few minor annoyances which should have been (and can be) corrected with better proofing (at least for the Kindle version which I read for this review), but nothing so dramatic that it really overshadows the feelgood nature of the charming storyline and the reader’s enthusiasm to continue with the journey.

In closing, I have only kind words for this excursion into fantasyland which Mr Jenvey takes us on. Woven into the fantasy are elements of philosophy and real-life quandaries which give the reader pause … to think things like “What would I do?” or “What would I want?” if a similar crossroads were placed in my path. Harsher critics may choose to take issue with the overall “feelgoody” nature of the novel’s forces for good, but in my opinion that would be churlish. There is more than enough here to make “Angela’s Coven” a journey I enjoyed undertaking. I award it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Communion of Saints

Reviewed by Author Susan Anderson

A Gripping Story, an Entertaining Paranormal

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS: A THRILLER by Richard Stone is the first book in his Last Man thriller series. I found the story intriguing and the subterranean landscape entertaining, despite the fact that at first I had problems knowing where I was, distinguishing up from down, at times unable to tell who was saying what to whom. COMMUNION deals with the anguish of a man fighting the forces of change, his resistance on the road to belief, grace, salvation—whatever you want to call it. It deals with the agony of confusion.

The author tells the reader that the novel takes place in Grand Rapids. If so, it’s not the Grand Rapids I know. Matter of fact, apart from a rare nightmare and the odd hallucination, the story’s reality is not one with which I am familiar. But, okay, I thought, time to stretch the mind. So I picked up the book and soon could not put it down.

The story starts when Otto meets his friend, Thomas, in a bar. They bump into a weird cast of characters. Otto’s adventures begin.

Otto is overcome by, chased by, fights off wave upon wave of paranormal creatures, a huge cast of celestial beings who fight for the heart and soul of this man—angels, devils, super human men and women. They intrigue us with wings and scales and power. All the while, the reader wonders what’s going to happen to Otto. Which Otto, you might ask, for there are two—the Otto who has long been the “project” of his fire and brimstone friend, Thomas, and “Other Otto,” his erstwhile alter ego. Otto, it seems, is changing.

In his quest (or test), Otto revisits somewhat familiar territory now grown wild and distinctly other. But assuredly Otto is in an altered state of reality, a place called Underground. Being human, he is under the influence of devilish creatures. Along the way he meets former friends, new ones, and celestials—from seraphs to devils, all with supernatural powers. And he has guides—Constance (my favorite), Anna, Regina—and a father, Frank, who looks for him. Not only is the landscape Kafkaesque but the place itself is one of the main characters. Otto is constantly on the brink. In the end we find out that … but, no, I won’t spoil it for you.

THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS has a gripping storyline played out on a burnt-out stage, a set worthy of Orlando Furioso or Batman, but influenced by the traditional Judeo-Christian world view. It has a definite beginning, middle, and an end that will surprise. If you are a reader into paranormal thriller, you will love this book.

Presentation. That said, there are numerous typos and this edition could use a proofreading scrub behind the ears. And the ebook formatting isn’t perfect. Sometimes typesetter marks are used, other times, not.

My Rating: 4 Stars

About the Author: Richard Stone is a writer of supernatural/psychological thrillers. He can be found Underground. Out of appreciation to his readers and friends, the author will donate
 20% of profits from his work to Dégagé Homeless Shelter of Grand Rapids.

And Death Dreamt Us All
by Cheryl Anne Gardner
Twisted Knickers Publications
ISBN: 978-0982214541
Copyright © December 2011
$7.99 Paperback
$2.99 Kindle
138 Pages

ABOUT:

Rowan lives at the edge of reality. After witnessing a terrible childhood tragedy, her life has evolved into a shifting state of death and decay. Barely a night without restlessness, barely a breath without torment, she exists at the edge, her mind merely a footfall away from the abyss. Within that abyss stirs a creature so vicious, so evil, and it lies in wait, staring back at her, waiting for her to fall.

REVIEW:

Having read almost all of Cheryl Anne Gardner’s books, I always look forward to a new one and try to approach it with a clear mind and give it my full attention. This is because Mrs. Gardner’s novellas are often philosophical, poetic, and downright challenging to read. Her prose are full of lyricism and imagery that you will find both stunning and disturbing. And Death Dreamt Us All is no different.

Our protagonist is Rowan, a crime scene photographer, who convinces herself that she is numb to what she captures through the lens. She attempts to remain undisturbed by the human horror and atrocities that she snaps photos of. However, Rowan is instead disturbed by her ability to see evil, envisioning the killers right there who have committed the brutality, seeing everything through their eyes.

In real life, Rowan is sleeping with her therapist, Killy.  It’s a love-hate relationship fed my liquor, pills, and intense sex. Those who easily blush might want to turn on the fan and pour themselves a glass of ice water before sitting down with this book.

Gardner makes no apologies for the way her characters treat each other, emotionally or physically.  But she does have a sense of humor at times which cannot go unappreciated. There is one chapter where Rowan visits a strip club which had me laughing out loud. Her use of the most foul images and descriptions of not just a stripper’s body, but of the clientele who frequent this place, right down to the gay Adonis bartender, read so vividly like I was right there in the middle of it all.

Never one to be wax-poetic, the author gives equal treatment to the beauty and the grotesque.  At times reminiscent of Poe himself, visual sketches themselves would practically rob you of the sheer essence in art with words that Gardner has such a talent for.  There is one scene where a raven actually lands on the hood of Rowan’s car.  Those well versed in the classics can easily see where Gardner draws her inspiration. Here talent is evident in quotes like this from her lead female character:

While wallowing in the chaos of my life, I’ve come to know one true thing. I have seen the world. I have seen the demons: Formless. Timeless. Faith in absentia. I have seen absolute darkness. This is the only reality, the only truth I know. I feel as if I am just beginning to see a faint glimpse of the future – the real future. The end of days. I’m not getting it in any finite detail, but it is perceptible even in the dim light. I can see the action, the reaction, and the consequence, and I have become dreadfully aware of everything around me. I’ve always feared that someday I might be plagued by madness. It happens often enough in my profession, but I don’t think this is madness. One cannot be self-aware and mad at the same time. Can a madman know they’re mad?

And some may think, like her characters, this author is mad. Her writing is definitely not for the faint of heart. Like Poe, like Shirley Jackson even, she celebrates and studies the human condition, whittling it down to the bare bones and blood drops that frighten us but remind us what we are all made of.

Reviewed by Author C.V. Hunt

4 out of 5

ABOUT:

Heaven doesn’t want them. Do they stand a chance in Hell?

Bass player Mike Archuleta is down on his luck in a major way. The shattered survivor of a misspent youth, he is haunted by the ghost of his dead brother, and is now driven to planning his suicide. Halfway through the show that’s supposed to be his last, a hellhound bursts into the club and attacks the band. The band members pull out karate moves, guns, and even a sword… and then things start to get strange.

Can Mike survive the show? What can he do about his brother’s ghost? And what kind of band is this, anyway?

Hellhound on My Trail is the first installment of Rock Band Fights Evil, a pulp fiction serial by D.J. Butler.

REVIEW:

D.J. Butler takes his turn with heaven, hell, and everything in between with Hellhound On My Trail. Much like other authors that tackle biblical stories, his rendition is unique. He starts with a very diverse and strange band of characters that somewhat confuse you, but learning about who they are, and what they are capable of, keeps you flipping the pages to find out more.

The story is action packed! You barely have time to breathe from one chapter to the next as the misfit band fights against unstoppable demons.

Mike decided to play on more gig with an obscure band, and after the show he planned on killing himself. He’s been faced with the ghost of his angry brother for years, and uses alcohol to keep the delusions away. His scheme of one final night seems to be going as planned, until an angry demon busts into the bar and threatens to swallow him whole. Now under the sobering pressure, he realizes that where he is going after he dies isn’t an ideal place. Mike forces himself to step up and follow the group as they jump from the pan and into fire.

The story is fast-paced and slightly chaotic to keep up with, but you are following Mike as he learns about the same world that you are being introduced to: God, Satan, demons, angles, shape shifting fairies, immortals, narcoleptic wizards…. Butler built a crazy world with infinite possibilities.

This read gives you a great pulp fiction feel that would easily transfer into a comic book, and in a sense, that is what I felt like I was reading – minus the illustrations.

Reviewed by Author C.V. Hunt

4 out of 5

ABOUT:

Intense and suspenseful with a twist of romance. Abigail Tate was a normal human girl. Until the day Bronx the vampire barges into her life and turns her against her will. Held captive while forced to deal with never ending cravings for blood, Abby prays for a way to escape. Only when an opportunity arises, it’s with the aid of an innocent human named Tyler–except vampires are forbidden to interact with the unbitten. But Abby quickly learns this human has secrets of his own…secrets that can either help her or get her killed. Only Abby discovers that she was the one with the biggest secret of them all.

REVIEW:

Vampire lovers rejoice! There is a new kind of clan of vampires in town, and they are terrified of the sunlight, fire, and decapitation.

With every new vampire story come a new set of rules to which these creatures live by. Ashley Robertson has given her vampires a unique twist. Although the vampires of Crimson Groves cannot withstand the sunlight, they do not sleep when the sun is up – or ever.

The story starts with a disgruntled Abigail Tate on seemingly normal day. But after a confrontation with her ex-boyfriend, a mysterious phone call from her estranged father and a sudden undeniable attraction to a stranger that waltzes into the bar that she works in, her life is never going to be the same.

Bronx Granger seems like a dream come true, until a passionate make out session turns into deadly nightmare. Abigail is turned into a vampire against her will, and trapped my an overbearing and jealous Bronx who is in a constant state of denial that Abby will become his lover.

Abby quickly learns about an underground world of blood donors that line up to be bitten by a vampire, because a vampire’s venom causes a euphoric and addicting attraction to be bitten again.

The whole while Abigail struggles with who she has become, what is happening to her body and mind, and overall, how to escape from Bronx.

FROM THE BOOK:

I was going to look twenty-one forever. I knew plenty of people that would pay big money for that. I had to pay for it with my soul.

I enjoyed Ashley Robertson’s take on the vampire, and the book was well written. There seemed to be a bit too much crying from Abby, but it was a defining part of her personality, and an essential trait to show how she was struggling with her new life. I find jealousy in a man’s character a huge turn off, which all of the men involved oozed, so I couldn’t really feel for them. The plot was strong and well planned with a couple of huge twists. Good job Ashley, I look forward to reading more.