More Than Evil - Audiobook by Bil Richardson

 

A MOVIE FOR YOUR EARS

New Audiobook of More Than Evil with full 3D sound design. Lots of music, sound effects and fully voiced narration by Sky Soleil. Coming soon!

HOW DO YOU STOP THE UNSTOPPABLE

A supernatural entity that has been imprisoned in the earth for millennia is released in a small town. It quickly spreads, leaving a trail of blood and carnage in its wake. Harlan is the local sheriff and he is in a race against time to save his family, his town and the rest of the world from this horrifying evil.

A sleeping evil in a small mining town has awakened after getting a taste of blood. Now the dead don't stay that way and it's up to the sheriff to save his town in this gory and gruesome tale.

This was a totally new experience for me, I have not listened to an audio book in years because back when I did, I was not impressed. I know lots of people enjoy them but for me, it is difficult to pay attention when someone reads to me, especially if I don't like their voice. 

However, More Than Evil is nothing like those flat robotic things I tried to listen to a decade ago. It is described as a movie for your ears and I somewhat agree with that but it is more satisfying than trying to listen to a movie with no picture. The rich narration and chilling sound effects remind me more of the old radio shows people listened to before they had tv. Back when there was no picture it was up to the actors and sound effects artists to conjure the images in your imagination. Of course some of the language and more graphic scenes would not have been allowed on the radio in those days, but horror fans of today will likely enjoy this "movie for the ears." I know I did.

4 out of 5 stars.

I received audio files from the author with no obligation to write a review.

About the author

Later by Stephen King

 

The son of a struggling single mother, Jamie Conklin just wants an ordinary childhood. But Jamie is no ordinary child. Born with an unnatural ability his mom urges him to keep secret, Jamie can see what no one else can see and learn what no one else can learn. But the cost of using this ability is higher than Jamie can imagine - as he discovers when an NYPD detective draws him into the pursuit of a killer who has threatened to strike from beyond the grave.

Later is Stephen King at his finest, a terrifying and touching story of innocence lost and the trials that test our sense of right and wrong. With echoes of King's classic novel IT, Later is a powerful, haunting, unforgettable exploration of what it takes to stand up to evil in all the faces it wears.

Later is a coming of age tale, but in Stephen King fashion our young hero Jaimie can see dead people. He sees them whether he wants to or not, and the first sighting when he is just a small tot is truly horrific.

Set in New York beginning just before the recession, we get to grow up with Jaimie, and his mom Tia certainly does some growing up too. Jamie never knew his dad, it's been him and his mom against the world for all of his young life until a romantic interest begins cutting in to their time together. Tia does not believe Jaimie right away when he first tells her what he has seen. Later she makes him promise never to tell anyone, but when it suits her she is the one to let the cat out of the bag, bringing some consequences neither of them bargained for.

The pace moves along at a pretty fast clip, and though it straddles the line between horror and crime, dipping a toe in each, it is most definitely Jamie's narrative that is the star of this book. Stephen King books have been hit or miss with me for the past several years, but I'm counting this among the hits. Watch out for those deadlights.

4 out of 5 stars

Author's Website

Fleeting Chills by Joseph C. Gioconda

 

FLEETING CHILLS is a series of thirty-three weird, creepy, short and scary horror stories by authors Joseph C. Gioconda, Grace Elizabeth, Amy Yun Yu, Isabel Rincón, Petar Vrbich and others.

A jealous teenager lures his rival into a tomb.
A five-year old child speaks in a voice beyond his years.
A therapist tells his patient to jump at every opportunity.
Trapped in an isolated funeral home, a man must get through the long night.
A spirit desperately wants to wed a living woman and refuses to take no for an answer.
Three boys on a road trip get lost...forever.
Some musicians really put their heart and soul into their work.
Amanda introduces her boyfriend to the person living inside her.
Selling a human skull shouldn't be difficult. Until a psychic gets involved.
Two sons see an apparition of their father...from thirty years in the future.
Near death experiences aren't all beautiful...
An eccentric inventor seeks patents on some novel and disturbing devices.
Christmas should be a time of joy, but when a man goes missing, his family tries to celebrate without him.
Buying a mysterious box on the DarkWeb leads a man down a rabbit hole of murder.
Confessing his sins to a priest, a man describes having a dark power.
A woman plans elaborate revenge on her cheating lover, only to find the tables turned.

I can't really say that many of these stories were scary, but the book did hold my interest. Several are written anecdotally as if the author is recounting an event that they personally experienced, and some, according to the editor's notes are admittedly "bite sized or ultra short." These are likely the stories I got the least enjoyment from. I don't like ambiguous tales with abrupt endings that seem to be over as quick as they start. That's just me. Other readers may feel differently.

The stories I most enjoyed were Convertible in which a traffic accident has an unexpected outcome.

Santa in which a jolly St Nick may not make it to the family gathering this year,  

Mausoleum, about some young graveyard workers, and Gaslighting about a woman scorned, seeking revenge.  All of these were by Joseph C. Gioconda.

The only story that I found scary was Lured by Amy Yun Yu. It is one of the more well rounded and fleshed out stories. A family living in a cramped trailer wherever they are able to park it have stopped at a book store on their way to the middle of nowhere and as the dutiful big brother begins to read the story his sister has chosen, sinister things are afoot.

So all in all it was worth the read and you may find some favorites too.

3 out of 5 stars

I received a mobi file through Book Sirens with no obligation to write a review.

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Jedi Summer by John Boden

 

A boy and his little brother wander through the loosely stitched summer of 1983. It was a magical one. Full of sun and surrealism, of lessons and loss, and of growing up and figuring it out.

Nestled in the mountains of Pennsylvania is a small town unlike any other. Things are strange here, always have been. People die but hang around, pets too. Everyone knows your name, and sometimes, a thing as simple as a movie coming to the local theatre is all it takes to keep you going.

This book has been kicking around for a while, in one incarnation or another, and I've glanced at it here and there from more than one publisher. It never seemed to be the right time to read it but it has been on my radar. To be honest the first time I glanced at it the title put me off. What is this? I thought, something about boys and their Star Wars obsession? (Fear not, it isn't!)

Sometimes I take a break from reading horror. Sometimes I end up disappointed and other times, I come away from my break remarkably satisfied. This is one of the latter.

Jedi Summer is a coming of age tale set in a small town in 1983. It is part fiction, part recollection of the author's childhood and entirely spellbinding. It is a memorable summer in the lives of Johnny and Roscoe, two brothers growing up in a poor town, where their mom works 3 jobs just to keep them fed. It's a summer of good times, growing up, and the bittersweet knowledge that nothing can last forever, whether it is the good or the bad times they all must eventually end. This book spoke to me on so many levels. Much like childhood, it passed by quickly and now I don't want it to be over.

5 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher with no obligation to write a review.

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About the author

John Boden lives a stones throw from Three Mile Island with his wonderful wife and sons.

A baker by day, he spends his off time writing, working on Shock Totem or watching M*A*S*H re-runs.

He likes Diet Pepsi, cheeseburgers, heavy metal and sports ferocious sideburns.

While his output as a writer is fairly sporadic, it has a bit of a reputation for being unique.