Sunday, May 20, 2012

The Teratologist-Edward Lee, Wrath James White

Billionaire John Farrington is obsessed with the idea of offending God to the point that God would want to confront him in person. Farrington has abducted priests and nuns to commit sexual atrocities with the most grievously genetically deformed people he can find. People that he's also abducted and kept in such a high state of sexual intensity, with a drug his company produces, that they are just ravenous for physical contact. The abductees, with basically no self control, commit some of the most depraved sex acts, over, and over again. Westmore and Bryant, a photographer and journalist, are given the rare opportunity to interview the reclusive Farrington and see inside his mansion and operation. Only to find the horrors within, and who have become pawns in the mysteries they find behind every door. Farmington's plan may work, and to make sure he's successful, he will do whatever it takes to have the deity of man face him.

As a long time horror fan I have pretty much read it all, and as a long time Edward Lee fan nothing really shocks me anymore. I started sneaking my mother's horror paperbacks to school when I was 11 years old, which means I have now read over 30 years worth of horror novels (gasp!)In all those years, and all those novels, this is the only book that ever made me gag. And I do mean, I literally gagged, and thought for a moment I was actually going to toss my cookies. If that was the reaction Lee was going for, well kudos to you Mr. Lee.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Bad Wolf by Tim McGregor

Description
Detective Lara Mendes’s hard work pays off when she finally gets to join the homicide detail. There’s only one catch; she has to partner up with a cop no one wants to work with.

John Gallagher is a veteran homicide detective who wants nothing more than to work alone. When the Lieutenant partners him with Lara Mendes, his first reaction is to ditch her but a call comes in about a body on the river bank and the rotation says they’re up.

What they find are human remains, mutilated and partially devoured. Their investigation reveals a killer stalking the city with a pack of vicious, feral dogs.
And the suspect believes he is a werewolf.

But this is Portland, where crazy bastards outnumber normal ones ten to one. Except there’s another catch. The crazy werewolf guy? He isn’t crazy...

Author's note: Bad Wolf is my first novel and remains a favourite. This free full-length novel is the first in the Bad Wolf series about two homicide detectives trying to stop a monster. A murder mystery and police procedural, it's premise is simple; cops versus werewolves. I had an absolute blast writing this series. Now that's it's done, I miss these characters. The books, in order, are:

1 Bad Wolf
2 Pale Wolf
3 Last Wolf

This free book is the gateway to a world of monsters, gritty detectives and the werewolves that haunt the moonlit night.

 I found Bad wolf to be a well written story, with likeable and well developed characters. I would describe it as a police procedural with a twist. The twist being a bit of supernatural horror in the form of a werewolf that should appeal to fans of both crime thrillers and horror stories alike.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Risen -by Jan Strnad

                   
"Previously published by Pinnacle Books." Welcome to Anderson. It's quiet here and that's how we like it. Except....

Madge Duffy sliced her husband's throat last week. Thought she killed him, but then John walked out of the morgue none the worse for wear.

The new preacher's calling it a "miracle," but I don't know. It isn't right.

I think there might be other people coming back, too.

Like Deputy Haws, for one. He's got a bullet hole in his one good shirt and he won't talk about it.

You know Peg Culler down at the diner...the one with the little girl on life support? Well, she's talking about pulling the plug, and nobody ever thought she'd do that, not in a million years. She thinks it might be the only way to get her back.

Then there's that gang of kids that hangs around the reservoir...not one of them can look you in the eye without breaking into a cold sweat. They're keeping a secret, and it's got them all on edge.

Something's going on in this town of ours, something that makes your skin crawl and your teeth grind in the night. I don't know what it is, but I know this:

It scares me.


A supernatural tale set in a quiet little town where suddenly the dead don't stay that way for long. At midnight, when the church bell rings the newly dead become the risen. The sick are healed, the insane are sane, all it takes is the miracle of dying first and rising again... but just maybe... death was better.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

IN 666 WORDS by Michael E. Grant

Description
666, the number that invokes fear in all. Somewhere lurking within these 33 tales of flash-fiction true terror exists for those brave enough to read on.

Travel along with:
-a generations spanning cannibal clan eating their way through America
-serial killers crossing paths on deserted train tracks
-spouses finding unique ways of adjusting to being married to vampires
-greedy people trying to make win-it-all deals with the Devil

If that’s not enough, you’ll encounter sprinting zombies, giant insects, carpet-dwelling aliens, beautification medicine gone awry, unsuccessful dental procedures, the darkest corners of science, the extremes of parental punishment, clowns(!), and a slew of unfortunate people finding themselves in the wrong place at a very wrong time.

In 666 Words presents each pulse-pounding offering in a “hit them fast and leave them terrified” jolt of precisely 666 words. It’s an ode to the classic genre stories that used to inhabit the comic books and magazines of the 1950’s and 60’s.

Unless you already suffer from hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia, prepare for scares!

This 30,000 word (100+ page) book also includes the terrifying short story "Doors Locked, Lights Out" from the upcoming full length collection Late Night Horrors

Looking for some tasty little tidbits of horror? These dark humored morsels may be just what you need. I am not usually a fan of flash fiction, but these stories are exactly the right length. Quick and to the point, and highly entertaining. My favorites were Sketches, Adjusted, and Blemished.
I received a complimentary copy for review. This was my first time reading anything by Michael E. Grant but I will be on the look out for more of his work.

http://www.amazon.com/IN-666-WORDS-ebook/dp/B0077DR4PM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1330811787&sr=1-1