Sacrilege by T. N. Vitus — Another Brief Book Review

Folkloric fantasy with a touch of magical realism and horror, Sacrilege is a well written novel with atmospheric charm. Emelie lives in a secluded village, cut off from the world surrounding it because of the religious elders who run it by sowing fear. When her childhood friend Halvar returns, having been banished along with his father when he was a boy, Emelie saves him from the wickedness of rumors and gossip by claiming he has returned to ask her hand in marriage. 

You see, the village has been increasingly under attack by what the elders claim are shifters and wolves, and Halvar's return coincides with a recent, and grisly death. This leads to an on the spot, forced marriage between two broken souls who…are ultimately meant for each other. Maybe Emelie's primary goal is to escape the control of her pious family and this repressive life, but leaving it under a ruse of a marriage to face the dangers of the outside world is daunting.

I found this story had hints of Beauty and the Beast in terms of the relationship between Halvar and Emelie, but make no mistake. The story and the relationship stand firmly on their own two feet. If you are more akin to romance over horror, well…this story is probably for you. The intimacy between Halvar and Emelie is perfect. Except that Maybe Halvar is too perfect. He's fairytale perfect. 

The story mostly touches on themes of being outcast and manipulated and repressed by religion—which is something I tend to gravitate to when I read (and write). Emelie is allowed to grow upon leaving her village, but ultimately she must return to face her past and the judgement of the village residents. If those are topics that you frequent, by all means check out Sacrilege.

Horror Movie -- A Brief (Book) Review of Paul Tremblay's Latest

Cover Image courtesy of
William Morrow

 Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay is one weird book, the kind that deserves a bit of serious contemplation after all is said and done, a true example of what some people like to call elevated horror. Horror Movie is only my second Paul Tremblay book, the first being The Pallbearer's Club, and this story has similar vibes. It cleverly tells the story of a young group of post college age adults who set out to make a low budget horror film, and our narrator is the man behind the movie monster mask thirty years later. He's only known to us as The Thin Kid.

The Thin Kid is our narrator for reasons. He's about to embark on a journey to make a "reboot" of a film that was never officially completed but had become a cult hit from leaked footage online. So what we get is three different narratives; our kid retelling the past during the shoot, then him revealing bits of the present and where the major players of the movie are now (including himself), then finally the horror movie itself as written in the form of the screenplay.

It's a slow and creepy unraveling of events as told by an unreliable narrator, and it's full of triggering topics including suicide, body horror (as in Pallbearers Club), bullying and ostracizing. Thematically, it touches on identifying the monster behind the mask, how those monsters just might be a reflection of ourselves in some ways, or how we as a society just might be responsible for creating the things that we fear.

It can get confusing with all the story jumping from the Then to the Now, plus a screenplay that feels like it would get thrown in the DNF heap if it was an actual real live submission (I've read a lot of screenplays, so I'm a little biased on this point). BUT this was a low budget horror shoot from a young writer character, so in that context, I need to give the script part of it some leeway. The plot twists show up through the last half of the book, and man are they some crazy, confounding and heartbreaking plot twists.

I want to thank Mr. Tremblay and William Morrow for approving ARC access via NetGalley. Look for it at all major and independent book retailers.

Daughter of the Beast—A Quick Review

 

Cover image courtesy of
DieselPunk Creative

Zyntael Fairwinter is a young Kimora girl whose village is raided by a rival race of wolflike beasts known as the Vulkari, then groomed to become a potential warrior among their kind in this well written folkloric fantasy tale. It’s a 3+ read for me while not quite tipping into 4 territory.

High marks for characterization and world building. Greaves builds a solid YA world for a high school junior through new adult reader. It's in tune with many an old world fantasy novel with its dwarves and goblins and the like in an ages old battle for domination. The Vulkari leader Karthak, who becomes Zyntael's teacher and surrogate mother, is an admirably complex antagonist who has a purpose for kidnapping and enslaving little Zyntael even though we might not entirely know what that purpose is by story's end.

The bulk of the story, though, feels like the backstory to a bigger epic, and since it’s the first of a trilogy that makes sense. But because of it, the middle half of the book dragged a bit for me. It focuses mostly on Zyntael's journey from unassuming 8 year old girl to her role in a war between nations by the time she reaches adulthood. The girl was enslaved, then accepting of her decided role among the Vulkari without question. Granted, she's eight at the beginning, and her life path, as decided for her, is unique—an admirably strong female character most definitely, but the one thing that nagged me (and which is eventually touched on in the last quarter of the book), is why she never sought out the life she had before, or the people in it. Because of this, I never developed a deeper connection to Zyntael. 

But this is a trilogy. This first book feels like it’s meant to be the setup for the real challenges to come. Zyntael makes connections from both her past, and most definitely for her future that might sway other readers to continue.

Also, I’m less of a fantasy reader and more of a horror reader, so I easily recommend fans of the genre to check it out.

A Very Short Review of a Very Short Horror Discussion

Cover Image courtesy of Oxford University Press                        

Horror: A Very Short Introduction by Darryl Jones, is part of a lengthy series of academic books that ranges through seemingly endless topics from science to history, philosophy, religion and entertainment. Type a word in your search engine, add very short introduction, and you’re more than likely to find a book from this series. These books are designed to give you a taste, an overview of the topic of choice, along with some initial insight into why and where to research further. And that's exactly what this particular book on horror does.

It's a short read that breaks down the fundamental subgenres of horror, from monsters to body dysphoria to  madness to fear of the uncommon or unknown. It touches on the origins of these subgenres, why they exist and the underlying meaning driving these kinds of stories. It's a fine book for a beginning researcher looking to understand the merits of the genre, maybe. I categorize myself as more than a novice when it comes to horror, so much of the book was a refresher as opposed to a presentation of a new outlook.

But the book proposes to be a very short introduction, and that's what it is. A fine starter for a beginning horror writer, aficionado or the horror curious.

Find a link to buy it here.  HORROR: a very short intro

Chuck Wendig's Black River Orchard — A Quick Review of a Delicious Horror Gem

Cover Courtesy of Del Rey Books

I don’t know where to begin, other than to say that this was one great book. Diverse and complex characters who find themselves up against an unusual cult of…well, people who don’t even recognize that they are being drawn into said cult. 

It begins with Dan Paxon—an apple orchard farmer who just wants to catch a break and make a successful living from his hard work and dedication. He just wants to pay the bills and be remembered for something. An apple. His apple. And when he stumbles upon one doozy of a vintage variety, his life, and the future prospects for his teenage daughter Calla, changes dramatically.

I don’t want to give away more than that. But the book starts as a slow unraveling of odd behavior as we get to know the characters and feel for the characters and understand the characters as they fall in love with these outrageously delicious apples that are, well, not what they seem to be. The villains here even garner my sympathy (until they don't) and I can’t help but wonder if the story is an allegory for things happening in our lifetime—without being too specific about those things happening in our lifetime.

Great read. Even at 600 plus pages. I highly recommend it and can visualize it as a limited series directed by someone like, I don’t know…Mike Flanagan? So hey, Mr. Flanagan, if you’re looking for something new, check it out! Give Chuck Wendig a call!