Mongrels -- by Stephen Graham Jones -- The Last Review of 2022

Cover image courtesy of William Morrow

 I’m a late comer to the Stephen Graham Jones bandwagon, having gotten my first taste of his work with The Only Good Indians. I’m slowly expanding on his previous work, and Mongrels — well it's a gem of a Coming of Age horror novel. Jones puts so much heart and soul into his characters that I almost feel guilty for only rating it a four out of five little twinkly stars. But I have my reasons. We’ll get to those later.

This is the story of a criminal, a prisoner, a villager, a sheep, all rolled into one as the main character tells stories of his own life as a boy raised by his extended family of werewolves after his mother dies giving birth to him. His aunt, his uncle, his grandfather are all storytellers, all hustlers to some degree too because the werewolf life isn’t a pretty one…depending on which family member is telling the story. They scramble to live along the fringe of society, doing their best to blend in, except when they can’t. That doesn’t make them any less proud of their questionable roots, and the kid—well, his entire story is about seeing what his aunt and uncle go through while he wonders when it will hit him; if and when he will ever experience the change.

There are times he wants to be the wild wolf that his Uncle Darren represents, times when he understands why his Aunt Libby has her reservations. It’s really about growing up and learning from the family that raises you. Funny at times, heartbreaking at others. It's a book I definitely recommend reading.

My only real reservation is the nonlinear approach to the story. The boy is a storyteller. His stories comprise each chapter. He's as young as eight in some, as old as eighteen in others. But the stories bounce around, back and forth from age to age as the family moves from Texas to Georgia to Missouri to the Carolinas to Florida and back again, and it can get confusing. Therefore, the four. But it's a solid four, absolutely.

A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore -- A Quick Book Review

Cover Image courtesy of
Harper Collins

A fun, often politically incorrect horror comedy that starts with gut wrenching tragedy. That tragic moment sets our main character Charlie Asher, "beta male," on a course for a new and highly unexpected career as a death merchant, a reaper of souls. It’s not a choice. The role is thrust upon him, and the job manual is, at best, vague. Needless to say, his failure to reap souls on a deadline leaves the balance of life and death, light and darkness in total chaos and puts the world as we know it — or at least San Francisco, in grave danger.

In spite of the reliance on some borderline cringy stereotypes, I laughed. I laughed often. No stereotype is off limits here, except maybe Minty Fresh, who has the mouth of Samuel L. Jackson and is very keen on warning MC Asher to tow the line. This story has the soul of a Terry Pratchett Discworld tale, but set in our world. It has the energy of movies like The Mask or Men in Black. A bit silly in the end. The big bad villains have their moments, but ultimately lack the right punch in the end.

But it’s a fun ride. Asher's cobbled together family, especially his daughter Sophie who is a growing cause for concern, keeps the fun rolling. A solid 4 star horror fantasy comedy. If you’re looking for horror silly, this book is a go.

I Need A Blog Post This Month But Don't Know Where To Start--A Random Rant Connected By Reviewing, Reviews and Tweet Trolls

 

  Book cover courtesy of Saga Press  

Where I want to start is with Stephen Graham Jones and his latest unreleased book Don't Fear the Reaper, a sequel to My Heart is a Chainsaw, which I totally loved and respected. You see, I requested an ARC of the book via NetGalley, and I got approved, and the review is written, but there are rules, so I am refraining from posting the review here. What you CAN do, is look at all of the reviews posted at NetGalley

Needless to say, I recommend it. No spoilers here. And if, for some impossible reason Stephen Graham Jones happens to check out my blog, maybe he'll remind me to post that review here in tandem with the book's release date in February, 2023. I mean, a self published writer with a few commonalities regarding what inspired her to write horror can dream, right?

No, I'm not a stalker. Geez! But there is a brief aside at the end of the book that Jones reveals about himself, and it has to do with when he was a kid and some older family members asked if they could bunk in with him after having seen Halloween that night at the movies. They were scared. And that little personal tidbit reminded me of my big brother, someone who wanted nothing to do with his little sister from another mother, until he went to the movies and saw The Exorcist. And, much like in Jones's recollection, my brother knocked on my door and asked if he could throw a sleeping bag on the floor and sleep there for the night. Because of The Exorcist. This was the same big brother who used to tease little sister with stories about The Birds, and how those birds had a specific taste for blond haired little girls munching on popcorn.

Aaah, siblings. Still, I could apparently save my brother from the things that went down in The Exorcist. What a superpower! Anyway, I can't post any more about Stephen Graham Jones--not without violating a restraining order (I'm kidding!)--But hey! I'd totally be down for a Misery inspired story from an SGJ point of view.

But if I'm not blogging about Reaper, then what should I blog about? My mind is hyper focused on several reader/writer related things these days. The third installment of my own trilogy, that begins with Perfect Prophet, is in the beta read stage, and that's an agonizing stage for a writer. Accepting a beta read request is a daunting responsibility--I understand this; I've been there on both sides of it. There's an underlying hesitation to beta read. The author wants--or should want honest feedback. That's the point, to see how the story tracks. But if your preliminary readers are friends or family, there's that worry that "not liking" elements of a story will hurt the author's feelings. And if your preliminary readers aren't fans of the genre, well...where to begin?

I also recently read a book from a newish writer that I was excited to read but that turned out to be less than a 4 star review for me. I had a feeling that the author wouldn't take this well if I posted it. But I personally don't feel comfortable leaving highly rated reviews as a favor. So I let the author review it then let them decide if I should post it. They requested I didn't. But they appreciated my opinions. No I'm not going to share the book, the review or the author. But it was a three star review. And the way many newer authors feel about a three star rating is a conundrum. It's the death of their careers! But it's...better than average, so. But I get it. I do. Who wants to be average-ish?

And while we're on the loose topic of book ratings and reviews, let's bring up Twitter Trolls. I got to experience one recently who maybe thought he was clever because he goes by the handle "Lou Bricant." Take out the 'o', squish first name and last together and-- I'm not a fan of banning books, and a politician was posted on video regarding his support of the anti-book banning movement. Mr. Bricant did not like the politician. He posted "your trying to hard."

Someone corrected his grammar. You know how it goes. Mr. Bricant continued to berate anyone who didn't agree with him regarding the politician or those liberal free speech views. "Like anyone is going to take a Tweeter who calls himself Lou Bricant seriously," I said deciding to take that wrong turn and add to the conversation. Mr. Bricant decided I was a "bootlicker."

More hilarity ensued, and after some other follower of the thread decided to buy my book (yes! I got a sale!), Mr. Bricant went on to troll the actual book as if he'd read it. A negative review of sorts... You can see them posted below, at the bitter end.

And, if you've gotten this far in this random blog edition of writers and readers and good and bad reviews, I'd like to address Mr. Bricant's criticisms of the book he "totally read." But first, if you're an author and you are compelled to respond to a legitimate but less than stellar review, don't do it. It's not good form.

Still...

Mr. Bricant,

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read my books and leave your thoughts. I value your opinions and am ready to discuss the points you bring to our attention. First, thank you for pointing out that my books are not exclusive. But I'm surprised. It was never my intention to deliberately write an inclusive book. Your observation that it is inclusive is a compliment.

With regard to my books being kinda racist, I'm willing to address that. In The Schoharie, yes there is an underlying current of racism going on in that story. The main character and hero Aaron is of Native American descent, and he has to deal with it at every turn. So yes, there are racist characters in the book. None of them are heroes though. In Perfect Prophet, yeah. the character of Mark in particular could easily be perceived as, at minimum, a casual racist. He calls the band's drummer Patrick his Mexicali Leprechaun, and Patrick isn't even Mexican. But Mark is hooking up with Cleo, and maybe I'm being too subtle, but she is an African American character. I don't necessarily dwell on that, so maybe you missed it. It reasonably puts the character of Mark in a gray area of racist intent though.

In a separate complaint, you noted that my books are not LGBTQ inclusive. Fair enough. My work is not LGBTQ specific. But there is an LGBTQ character in Perfect Prophet whose gender identity isn't really established. Please feel free to read Prophet Reborn, as that character's gender preferences become pretty clear--even moreso in book three that is currently in a beta read phase! I'm excited about it. Maybe you'll like that one better!

And hey, thanks for taking the time to "read the books." Kindness is everything!

The Exhumation by Nick Padron -- A Quick Book Review

 

Cover Image Courtesy of
TouchPoint Press

A poignant companion piece to For Whom The Bell Tolls

This book, set in war torn Spain in 1937 begins, presumably, where Hemingway's masterpiece left off. Three Americans are tasked with bringing the body of one Robert Jordan home from the Spanish Civil War.

Suffice to say that if you are a fan of Hemingway's classic work For Whom the Bell Tolls, you will really enjoy this work. I never got to this particular Hemingway, having been introduced to The Old Man and the Sea in high school. That was enough Hemingway for me.

But I enjoyed The Exhumation. I'm more of a movie person, and the ambiance of this novel conjured images of a Turner Classic, Bogart, Casablanca tale. What I'm trying to say is that you don't necessarily need to be up on your Hemingway to enjoy it. But if you are, you probably will.

Short Book Review -- Come Closer by Sara Gran

 

Cover image compliments of Soho 
Press

This book does not have a happy ending...or does it. I guess it depends on one's point of view. The book is written from the main character Amanda's point of view, as she accounts for the days when she was introduced to, then stalked by a literal demon named Naamah.

I did some research, and Naamah does indeed have a brief Biblical history that Gran uses in a unique and satisfying (although horrific) way. I like when I’m compelled to learn things from reading fiction, and this inspired that for me.

Naamah represents a slippery slope of sin. She represents the burden of what it is to be a woman sometimes, but she also represents the karma from what happens when you mistake a beautiful woman as nothing more than a plaything, as the secondary player in the story of humanity.

I don’t know, maybe I'm overhyping that analogy. But it feels right. It feels close. It's definitely something to think about after reading the book. I think Emerald Fennel's script for the movie Promising Young Woman has a similar vibe--without the possession angle--and I loved that movie.

Short Book Review -- Tyll, by Daniel Kehlmann

Cover image courtesy of
Pantheon Books

I’ve been putting off writing my thoughts about this wonderful book because I came in blind to the folklore that inspired it, and with only a passing knowledge of the 30 Years War when it takes place. I'd be a fool not to acknowledge my historical ignorance here... That having been said, I loved this book. I cannot compare it to the original chapbooks that preceded it, as I haven’t read them other than glossing over a Wikipedia page. But here, in this book, Kehlmann uses the folkloric character Tyll Ulenspeigal to dramatic effect, popping in and out of the lives of a number of historic figures relevant to the history of the war. Tyll's presence in this book is often ethereal—literally. Because Kehlmann expertly weaves the story in a way to make us wonder. Is the character real or is he a ghost? Kehlmann plays with that idea often, giving us moments when we feel for Tyll because of the hardships that have shaped him, then letting us see glimpses of him from the point of view of others, where he is seemingly an inconsequential player in the backgrounds of their lives. Until he's not. Until the folly of their existence begins to unravel and we can’t help but wonder if it’s Tyll who pulled that string. I enjoyed it for these reasons. Even if I am woefully ignorant of the history surrounding it. I highly recommend this book. Now I need to go back and brush up on my European history.

Belated Thoughts on Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

 

Cover courtesy of Oni Press

I read this book a few months back, and forgot to add it to my list of read books. My apologies. And let's be clear, I am not the audience for the book, being a cisgender woman, so why, you say, would I check it out?

Because of Twitter. Because I'm not a fan of banning books, and this title became a topic of debate between myself and some tweet-troll who labeled the book as disgusting pornography. So I decided to check the book out--like most people should before disparaging a book for its content.

I'm glad I did. This is not a book about disgusting porn, or "men having sex with boys," as the tweet-troll tried to convince me. It's an honest memoir about a person who grew up with a lot of questions. The book is honest about those questions. The author exposes their soul.

Does it present answers for our youth about the topic in question? Not entirely, but that's not what the book is about. The book is about struggling with identity through your young years, and it gives readers the satisfaction of knowing that they are not alone, that the questions they have, the awkwardness they feel, is a normal thing. The book opens the door for potentially meaningful discussion, if you find your kids wanting to read it. That's only a bad thing for parents who don't want to be part of the conversation, in my opinion.

Short Book Review -- Satan's Lambs by Lynn Hightower

 

Image courtesy of Open Road Media

A well written detective thriller with a Satanic cult at its center, this book introduces us to Lena Padget, a private investigator who has lost a family due to the cult. When a member from that past gets out of jail, he wants the hidden away money owed to him from a job gone wrong, and Lena gets involved.

As a detective novel, this is fine. Hightower gets high praise from me regarding characters and their relationships. Also, for her research of occult practices to fill in that part of the story. For the horror fan, this is more of a detective story with horror set pieces.

The ending was a bit of a letdown for me, feeling unfinished in a way that didn’t quite leave me satisfied but with an open door for more. I don’t mind open ended stories that tease the next book, not at all. But this one felt rushed to try and save the ones in need of saving without a high climactic finish. There was danger, but I didn’t feel the danger deep into my own toes. So, while it’s a solid 3+ for me, I didn’t feel compelled to push it to a 4.

It's still a more than worthy consider though for those who like a dash of gruesome with their detective stories.

Short Book review: Demons by Daylight by Ramsey Campbell

 

Image courtesy of Venture Press

A Hit and Miss Collection of Campbell’s Early Work

This is actually my first Ramsey Campbell book, and I know. What took me so long, right? That being said, I was a little disappointed. I thought, as an established author, this should have been better—I mean, am I the only one who is going to address the number of typos, particularly in The Guy, where double quote marks stood in for apostrophes? And it happened a lot! I mean, come on. I"m not the best at knowing what"s right and what"s wrong on the page, but when it"s as consistent as that, it"s pretty annoying...

But then that's an editor's job, so maybe I should cut Campbell a little slack. Maybe it's just the edition I happened to read, who knows? And then I reminded myself that this is a series of shorts from Campbell's early career, and I have to admit that there’s a clear voice and style that reflects real talent. Even if they are sometimes hard to follow or seemingly cut short at the end. It could also be, in part, to my limited exposure to British writing. But not by much.

The germ of an idea that inhabits each story is pretty brilliant in most cases. The Enchanted Fruit is delicious except for the ending that felt incomplete. Made in Goatswood, Concussion, The Stocking, Sentinels, Second Staircase—all worth discussion within the realm of literary horror.

Short Book Review: Man, Fuck This House -- by Brian Asman

Image courtesy of Mutated Media

Count this one as a quick, horror read with a wacky ending.

I hovered between a three and a four with this one until the ending took a turn for the bizarre. A family moves into a new house that is really nice. But the kids are creepy (at least one of them is), the dad is happily clueless, and the mom—Sabrina— is going through a bit of a midlife crisis over amounting to nothing more than being "mom."

Mom isn’t enthused with the move to satisfy her husband's job related advancements, but the house—it settles her, kind of. Eventually. Until it doesn’t. And there you have the title for the book.

Damien, the youngest of Mom's two children, and living up to the standard for the name, sets a living nightmare in motion when he sets out on a mission to scare the h-e-double-hockey-sticks out of his mother. But supernatural forces aren’t to be reckoned with, and his plans go awry. Deadly awry.

A touch of Poltergeist. A touch of King Kong in a very weird way. There is nothing truly "deep" about this one. But it's a worthwhile read in the category of horror lite.

Look for Man, Fuck This House here.

 Book Review: Blue, Upstate by John Painz

First and foremost, I really enjoyed this book. If you like Tarantino or Scorsese or Elmore Leonard, chances are you'll really like this book. Was it perfect? No. But that's the problem. Even though it wasn't perfect, I really enjoyed this book. I will read and review books to support the indie author community, and I have come across a few that, while well written, didn't completely grab me.

But this one grabbed me.

Maybe it's because I hail from Upstate New York. Maybe it's because I'm familiar with the roads that lead from Binghamton to Syracuse. The opening scene puts us in a small, barely on the map town where a bank heist is in progress. It's the only bank in town, probably the only bank for miles, and I'm thinking--damn! This could be the bank in my barely on the map upstate New York home town! So, maybe the story grabbed me because of the commonality.

But no, because the story takes a turn quickly. We go back in time and get to know the players who are instrumental to this flashforward beginning. They have lives in Pennsylvania, New York City, Texas...and as they grow up from young adulthood to old adulthood, we see how they become acquaintances and how they become associated with the mob.

Jumping back and forth in time to build a backstory for four major characters can easily lead to confusion. But Painz does a fantastic job of weaving this one without getting us lost. So, major points for going on tangents that draw us right back into why the opening bank job takes place.

The mob boss who ties these people together is Gino D'Escopio -- major stereotype of a character. Picture Paul Sorvino, and you've got Gino. At least that's who I pictured. Was the character original? Obviously not--I pictured Sorvino in a heartbeat. But I didn't care. Because I pictured the character so clearly, heard his words so organically that it worked. --I enjoyed the read--

Then you have Hal and John, two of the major characters. Think buddy cop movies, except they work for the mob. They're great. Again, enough stereotype thrown in to make them identifiable, but also enough depth to make them three dimensional. Then there's Carla, the put upon female lead of the piece whose significant other Alex has problems. To be honest, Alex IS her problem--he's got a gambling habit. Hence, their eventual connection to the mob.

I'm not going to go in depth and provide spoilers. Painz teases our interest with the opening heist, then builds in the lifetime of events that lead to it. And then, in the final 100 pages of a 500+ page book, he brings us back to that rinky dink little town where all hell breaks loose due to a long con gone wrong. Because it's never a good idea to try and outsmart a mob boss.

I did find moments--especially through that literal breakneck speed ending--that felt over the top or emotionally not-quite-true. But you know what? I was still entertained. Did I say I really enjoyed this book?

--I really enjoyed this book--

That's it. That's the review. Go read Blue, Upstate.

Book review: Steampunk Cleopatra by Thaddeus Thomas

 A well written story for those with a deeper knowledge of ancient Egypt

This is the story of a teacher and his student, and their influence during a steampunk inspired take on the history of Cleopatra. 

First and foremost, I found this book to be well written on many levels. There is a near poetic style to the narrative flow, and the main characters Amani and Philostratos are intimately and fully realized. But I'm legitimately torn between giving this 3 stars or 4. The characters are noble in their quest to save the history of their cultures during a time of war but, for me, it was easy to feel lost without a deeper knowledge of the history surrounding Cleopatra's reign.

I feel like if I knew more about that history, I would have gotten more out of the story. I would have better understood the logistics when it came to the historical power struggle. That’s what was missing for me. That’s what got me lost, a vague understanding of the politics fueling the overall mission.

That having been said, I think that anyone who has a deeper interest in the history of Cleopatra and ancient Egypt will really enjoy this take. The fan of Egyptian history will better understand the backstory of a number of secondary characters—sometimes historical figures—that were crucial to the plot. So, I’m hovering at a 3.7 or 3.8 rating that bumps this up to the 4.

You can find Steampunk Cleopatra here.