Steel Machines by Dan Franklin

Prague, 1945

Eight year old Otto Braum is the sole survivor of the massacre that claimed his parents and left him sustaining himself as best he can in the ruined attic hideout above his childhood home.

But Otto is not alone.

His father had a secret—a creation, unfinished, that he left behind. A secret that is pitiless in nature, relentless in design. A secret with the heart of a steel machine.

From the Amazon best selling author of Down Into the Sea and These Things Linger comes a horrifying reimagining of the story of the golem. Part I Am Legend and part Caging Skies, STEEL MACHINES is an unrelentingly tense tale of haunting, of vengeance... and of survival at any cost.

 

In 1945 eight year old Otto Braum had been hiding in the attic with his parents for so long that he could barely remember what it was like to feel the sunshine or eat a decent meal. Subsisting on crackers and canned goods, he may be too young to understand war and hate, but he does know fear of the men with the ugly black windmill symbol. His father believes they will be protected if their hiding spot is found because he has built a golem, not of clay and earth but of metal with intricate cogs and gears, a massive thing that he believes will defend them. After they are discovered, Otto is the only survivor.

There was a constant feeling of imminent danger before the violent confrontation that left Otto an orphan, but once he is on his own in the attic, the risk of starvation is added to the odds against survival. Strange visions and mysterious sounds made me wonder if the house was haunted or if Otto was losing his mind due to trauma, isolation, and hunger. I won't tell you if it was either, or neither of these things. I will just say that when it is revealed, the ending is brilliant.

My favorite time period for historical fiction is the 1940s, and specifically anything to do with World War II and its aftermath. My favorite horror subgenre is folklore. Steel Machines combines these into one spellbinding tale deeply rooted in Jewish folklore and mysticism surrounding the Golem of Prague. It was a suspense-filled and heartbreaking read with just the right touch of authenticity to make the impossible feel real.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to the author for the e-ARC

Get a copy

 

Movie Review - No Tears In Hell

 

In the frozen darkness of an Alaskan winter, a mother and son turn their home into a house of nightmares, luring victims into a twisted web of abuse and cannibalism.

Based on the true story of notorious Russian serial killer Alexander Spesivtsev, the film stars Luke Baines (Shadowhunters, A Dark Place) in an uncompromising portrayal of the brutal Spesivtsev, whose heinous crimes in the early 90s earned him the nickname the Siberian Ripper, and the late Gwen Van Dam (Star Trek: Generations) as Alexander's enabling and overbearing mother.

I was invited to watch an early screener of No Tears In Hell, which will be released on VOD on August 12.

As Norman Bates once said, a boy's best friend is his mother and that holds true in this harrowing portrayal based on the real-life psycho killer Alexander Spesivtse, known as the Russian Ripper and his mommy dearest.

"A mother takes care of her children no matter what."

Luke Baines is so convincing as the Ripper that I might run away if I ever spotted the actor in real life.

In the film, Alex is an admirer of Jeffrey Dahmer and a hater of the homeless teens who congregate not far from his apartment. He scopes out his victims there and preys on their desperation, sometimes relying on the help of his mother to lure them back to his home, where he tortures and kills them before using them as food.

What stands out above other films that claim to be "based on a true story" is that this movie is made all the more brutal by sticking close to several of the actual events. At times it was difficult to watch and I had to look away from one of the more gruesome scenes.

True crime aficionados and fans of slasher movies should give this a watch.

I rated it an 8 out of 10 stars on IMDB

View the trailer

Bloody Bones by Garrett Boatman

YOU CAN'T KILL WHAT'S ALREADY DEAD.

Listen... do you hear the squeaking swing? Bloody Bones is on the porch, and he's coming to get you.

Thirty years ago, the stranger came to the sleepy southern town of Farnsworth, and the killings began. Wearing a black suit and passing himself off as a traveling preacher, the Dark Man targeted children. But when he took the daughter of the local hoodoo woman, she exacted a terrible revenge.

Listen... do you hear the creaking door? Bloody Bones is in the house, and he's coming to get you.

Bound to a ploughshare at the bottom of a quicksand hole and unable to die, the Dark Man raged as his body rotted to bones. Three decades later, a murder and a gruesome burial resurrects the stranger. Now, two boys, a witch, and a deputy will attempt to keep the Dark man from sating his monstrous appetite. Listen! Do you hear the blood dripping on your bed? Bloody Bones is here, and he's...GOTCHA!

Bloody Bones is a jarring, distressing, occult horror. It made my heart hurt.

I am not even going to talk about the plot. I am only going to say that it concerns an abomination from the past that is reawakened by a depraved act 30 years later, told in graphic detail.

It is very dark, disturbing, and upsetting. I feel like I watched someone's soul get crushed when their hope was ripped away by evil. I have always said the best horror can make you feel something.

The writing is skillful, the storytelling is excellent, and I'm sitting here stunned. Never have I ever, until Bloody Bones, read a book that made me wish with all my might that the children in it would die. To be clear, I didn't just want them to die I wanted them to suffer first. Even the thought that they might get away with what they did filled me with such rage that I had to take a break and check my blood pressure.

Even though this is likely to end up on my best horror of the year list for 2025 I would cautiously recommend it to those who think they can handle it. It strained my own boundaries very close to the breaking point.

My thanks to Cemetery Dance Publications for the e-ARC.

5 out of 5 stars

Get a copy

About the author

 

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre by Philip Fracassi

Brimming with dark humor, violence, and mystery, The Autumn Springs Retirement Home Massacre is a blood-soaked slasher sure to keep readers cringing, laughing, and guessing until the very last page.

Rose DuBois is not your average final girl.

Rose is in her late 70s, living out her golden years at the Autumn Springs Retirement Home. When one of her friends dies alone in her apartment, Rose isn’t too concerned. Accidents happen, especially at this age!

Then another resident drops dead. And another. With bodies stacking up, Rose can’t help but wonder: are these accidents? Old age? Or something far more sinister?

Together with her best friend Miller, Rose begins to investigate. The further she digs, the more convinced she becomes: there’s a killer on the loose at Autumn Springs, and if she isn’t careful, Rose may be their next victim.

 

The Autumn Springs Retirement Home has been a safe and welcoming place for seniors who are still spry enough to take care of themselves, while knowing that medical help is available when needed. It is here that we meet a quirky cast of characters, including three witches and a retired school teacher, Rose Dubois. Rose may be nearly 80 years old, but her mind is sharp as a tack, and as a true crime buff with a penchant for mysteries, she is the first to notice that something is off about an alleged fatal accident in the retirement home. As the body count racks up can Rose catch the killer before she becomes the next victim?

In the author's notes at the end of this book, he says he hopes he made readers gasp or possibly chuckle. Well, congratulations on getting that and more, at least from me. It also made me shed a few tears when elderly characters reached out for help from their families and found that nobody cared. 

It was so refreshing to read a slasher novel that wasn't a cautionary tale to warn high school and college students that sex can lead to decapitation or streaming entrails. The murders are clever and gory, with loads of dark humor and suspense.  The plot moves full steam ahead with likable, realistic characters in impossible situations.

This is a novel that succeeds in creating a fresh original take on the slasher subgenre.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tor Nightfire for the paperback.

Available for Pre-order

About the author