Haunted Attractions with your Other Father by Norman Prentiss

 

Death separates people from each other. For a time.

This follow-up to ODD ADVENTURES WITH YOUR OTHER FATHER continues Jack and Shawn's horror/fantasy/LGBTQA+ roadtrip, chronicling their 1980s visits to out-of-the way attractions that amplify Jack's mind-projecting powers:

- A theater where the performance of a classical tragedy leaves an unforgettable aftertaste.

- A haunted house that targets a specific type of victim.

- A life-size concrete replica of Stonehenge that enacts a gender bending transformation to punish a disrespecting visitor.

- And a boardwalk funhouse ride that brings about the end of the world -- in more ways than one.

Meanwhile, in the present day, their daughter Celia confronts challenges at her summer camp job, while Shawn arranges visits to his dead lover's spirit in a house he doesn't own. The lovers could be reunited permanently, If only Jack's parents could be coerced into selling their home....

With this Haunted sequel, Bram Stoker Award winner Norman Prentiss offers horror, humor, and heart in an unforgettable collision of bizarre adventures, past and present.

This is a tough one for me to review. Mainly because when I saw the cover and that it was by Norman Prentiss I jumped so quickly on the chance to read it that I did not even realize it was a sequel. I wanted so badly to read it in time for Pride Month but here I am a week late.

It was a bit confusing to me at first to get the gist of the whole family dynamic but that is my own fault for not having started with book one. I am sure there are things that would have been better understood by me if I was not reading in the wrong order.

This is not exactly horror, but there are supernatural elements involved.

All Celia knows of her "other father" who passed away when she was very young, are the stories she is told by her surviving father, of their adventures and road trips together. 

All I knew of Jack and Shawn's relationship is that they were very much in love, in a time when it was dangerous to be openly gay. While some of Jack and Shawn's experiences were quite chilling I felt that this was more a story about love and loss and the bonds of family. It is sometimes humorous, often bittersweet, and always entertaining. It is quite original and I loved the characters. I do recommend that you read Odd Adventures With Your Other Father before starting this one.

4 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the review copy.

Get a copy